Forsaking Fate
by Ice7
Summary: AU to Destiny. Destined to be raised by the ghosts of the Potters to know right from wrong, fate gets drastically changed when the Potters live and Destiny must find her way alone.
1. Destiny Black

Summary: Alternate Universe to Destiny. Destined to be raised by the ghosts of the Potters to know right from wrong, fate gets drastically changed when the Potters live and Destiny must find her way alone.  
  
Disclaimer: I own Destiny Black, Julia Snow, and any other character you do not recognize. I do not own the Harry Potter series and am making no money off of this story. The plot is mine and may not be borrowed, nor any of the characters that I own without my permission. Many quotes are not mine and come from various places and are being borrowed without permission.  
  
A/N: This is an AU to the Destiny series. While it is not required to read Destiny and the sequel, The Phoenix's Fire first, it may help for you to understand some concepts. If you are reading this without first reading Destiny and don't understand something, e-mail me and I will explain to you what you missed.  
  
"---"= Speech  
  
'---'= Thought  
  
Des is pronounced Dez  
  
Necromancy- Conjuration of the spirits of the dead   
  
Necromancy is the ability to see the dead, talk to the dead, make the dead visible to the living, and raise the dead from the grave. It is considered the darkest of dark arts.  
  
Forsaking Fate  
  
Prologue  
  
Destiny is not a matter of chance but of choice. Not something to wish for  
but to attain.  
  
Time passes and things change, but one thing is always for certain. Fate, Destiny, Time; whatever you choose to call it, it always has a set course for what will happen. Yes, we have free will, but always are we shaped by what is meant to happen.  
  
Unfortunately, sometimes what is meant to be is forever altered and another world arises and is formed. What is originally seen as good is often times misleading. Sometimes, bad things happen to farther the greater good. Sometimes though, the bad does not occur and new, unimaginable horrors arise.  
  
Destiny Black  
  
Chapter 1  
  
October 31, 1981  
  
Dusk was settling over Godric's Hollow when James Potter entered the kitchen of his cozy home. Shrugging off his coat and throwing it over the back of an ornately carved wooden chair, he moved to where a small baby sat scattering cereal onto the floor from its highchair. Pulling up a chair similar to the one he had thrown his coat on; James leaned forward, put his hands over his eyes, and called out, "Peek-a-boo!"  
  
Giggling, the small child threw a cheerio at him.  
  
"Hey, now, no fair throwing food when I don't have any to throw back!"  
  
Grinning widely, the baby held out a piece to his father. Leaning forward, James allowed the boy to stick it in his mouth.  
  
"You do realize," a sweet voice asked, "that he has been drooling all over those, don't you?"  
  
Scrunching up his nose, the man playfully exclaimed, "Ew, Harry germs!"  
  
Reaching out, he plucked the baby from the chair and swung him around.  
  
"James, stop that! You're going to make him sick!"  
  
"Oh, I am not!" Smiling mischievously, James walked seductively up to his wife and smirked. "I couldn't make anybody sick."  
  
Laughing, Lily Potter was leaning forward to kiss him when the baby burped and promptly spit up all over the man's shirt.  
  
Smirking, Lily replied with a simple, "You were saying?"  
  
Laughing, James handed baby Harry over to his mother and left to change his shirt.  
  
Wiping her sons face, Lily couldn't help but glance wearily out the window. A week had passed since the Fidelius Charm had been set and with each day that passed, Lily grew more certain that something was terribly wrong.  
  
'Peter will not betray us,' she thought, trying desperately to make herself believe it.  
  
Sighing, Lily carried her son up the stairs and began to ready him for bed. As she placed him in his crib, she turned to see James standing in the doorway, watching. Smiling, James walked over to her, wrapped his arms around his wife from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking down at the small boy.  
  
The boy was the most beautiful thing in the world to James. A head full of thick, wild black hair and large green eyes that now stared up at his father, were the child's dominate features.  
  
Yawning, James reached up to rub his eyes before leaning down to kiss Harry's soft, downy head. Straightening, he squeezed his wife's hand before leaving and making his way to his own bed.  
  
Flopping down on the large, red quilted bed, James smiled tiredly when he felt Lily curl up behind him. Rolling over, James wrapped his arm tightly around his beautiful, fire haired wife.  
  
"James?"  
  
"Hm?" he murmured in reply.  
  
"I have this horrible feeling..."  
  
"About what?"  
  
". . . Something's going to happen. Something bad, very soon. . ."  
  
"We're safe. All will be well."  
  
"I hope so," Lily muttered. "For everyone's sake, I hope so."  
  
As the night grew later and the witching hour arrived, stillness descended on the night. A loud rumbling noise filled the darkness as a bright light pierced the night. From high in the sky, a large black motorbike descended quickly, hitting the pavement and roared up to the house at the end of the street. The house was medium sized; not large, not small. With a flower garden, trees large enough to climb, and a white picket fence, the little cottage in Godric's Hollow was the home of dreams.  
  
Leaping from the motorbike without bothering to halt completely, the young rider ignored the gravel being spit up from the tires and ran to the front door of the house. Banging frantically on the white door, the man screamed for the inhabitants to hurry. A few seconds later the door was thrown open.  
  
"Sirius?" James asked worriedly, stuffing his glasses onto his nose. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Peter," Sirius snapped angrily, forcing his way inside, "he's betrayed you!"  
  
"No. . ." James whispered horror plain in his voice.  
  
"Yes!" Sirius snapped back. "We have to get out of here! Voldemort could be here any second!"  
  
Nodding, James dashed back up the stairs, slid around the corner, knocking a picture off the wall as he crashed into it, and sprinted into the nursery. Coming to an abrupt halt, he caught sight of his wife rocking little Harry, who had awoken at the pounding on the door, and hurried over to her.  
  
"Lily, Peter's the spy! We have to go!"  
  
Squeezing her eyes shut in horror, she quickly grabbed some extra nappies for Harry, a few toys, and the most essential things before making her way downstairs. By the fireplace, James and Sirius stood waiting with some of the Potter's belongings.  
  
Stopping next to her husband, Lily carefully handed Harry to James and turned to face Sirius.  
  
"Thank you," Lily murmured, hugging the man.  
  
"Well," Sirius grinned, "I couldn't just let you die. They may have blamed it all on me!"  
  
Giving a small laugh, James was opening his mouth to reply when a great crash came from the front door. As pieces of wood flew into the living room, Lily shrieked. Panicking, James threw floo powder into the fireplace, shoved Lily in and screamed, "Dumbledore's office!"  
  
A high pitched laugh resonated through the house as Voldemort came through the broken entryway.  
  
Frantically, Sirius threw more powder into the fire and waved for James to go. Swallowing his guilt at leaving his friend to go last, James gripped his son to his chest, stepped into the flames yelling his destination and vanished.  
  
Terrified, Sirius reached out for more floo powder from the little ceramic jar on the mantle and knocked it to the floor, shattering the pottery on the marble flooring surrounding the fireplace. Dropping to his knees, he began trying to brush the powder into a small pile. Finally having enough for a handful, Sirius threw it into the flames and rolled in. His last view of the house was Voldemort shooting a deadly green light at him.  
  
----------  
  
Landing in Dumbledore's office, James felt the wind being knocked out of him as he twisted his body to avoid landing on his son. Staggering to his feet, he hurried over to where Lily had stood waiting anxiously. Hugging her to him with Harry between them, they waited for Sirius.  
  
Only minutes after James had arrived, Sirius came flying out of the fireplace, covered in soot. Sighing in relief, Lily went to Sirius and began brushing him off before hugging him close.  
  
At that moment, Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, came through the door to his office. Smiling happily at the occupants as if he had known they would be there, Dumbledore asked them to have a seat.  
  
"Well, now," he exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "this is a pleasant surprise. Oh, and you brought young Harry." Holding out his arms, he asked, "May I?" before taking the squirming child. Cuddling the boy to him, he just grinned when Harry began to pull on his long, flowing beard. Turning his attention back to the adults, he asked why they were there. "You shouldn't have left the protection wards around your home."  
  
"A lot of good wards do when your Secret Keeper is a Death Eater," Sirius snapped.  
  
Blinking at them, Dumbledore shifted Harry to his hip. "I beg you pardon, Mr. Black? That's quite a thing to say considering that you are in fact the Secret Keeper in question."  
  
"No," James sighed, "he is not. We thought it would be the perfect bluff. Peter is our Secret Keeper."  
  
Bowing his head sadly, the Headmaster whispered, "Mr. Pettigrew shall be arrested this very night. In the mean time, Sirius, I suggest that you contact Miss Snow and have her make her way here, as well as Mr. Lupin. They may not be safe where they are."  
  
Nodding, Sirius went to the fireplace and floo-ed home to retrieve his girlfriend and then his friend.  
  
----------  
  
The next day dawned sunny and clear, with only the barest hint of winter in the air. At Hogwarts, in a large room decorated with paintings and beautiful curtains hanging from the windows, the Potters, Sirius Black, Julia Snow, and Remus Lupin gathered for breakfast. The tension of the room was almost palpable, the occupants not sure what to say. Clearing her throat, Julia finally spoke.  
  
"It was in the Daily Prophet today that Peter avoided capture. People know that he is a Death Eater now and will be on the look out..."  
  
"Huh," Lily replied absentmindedly, trying halfheartedly to get some hotdogs into her son's mouth.  
  
Silence descended once more and nobody made an attempt to break it for some time.  
  
Finally, not being able to take the tension that he knew he was causing anymore, Remus rose to his feet and muttered, "I should be going."  
  
Jerking his eyes up from where he had been staring at his plate, lost in thought, James asked, confused, "Going? You can't go anywhere! Voldemort is after Lily and I and he'll go after you if he thinks it will allow him to get to us."  
  
"Well, I'm sure that Peter will inform You-Know-Who that I'm not a close enough friend to be used as a hostage," Remus uncharacteristically snapped.  
  
"Moony," James asked with confusion, "what are you talking about?"  
  
"What am I talking about? WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?" Remus shouted angrily, allowing the anger that had been building up for months to burst forth. "I am talking about the fact that you thought I was the one betraying you to Voldemort! Shut-up Sirius!" he growled, effectively cutting the other man off before he could get a word in edgewise. "You believed I was betraying you based on the assumption that all Dark Creatures would want to join with the Dark Side!"  
  
"I know," James mumbled. Sighing in defeat, James ran his hands through his hair distractedly. "I know there is no way I can ever make it up to you, but I want you to know that I am truly sorry. I doubted you and I shouldn't have. Friends don't do that. I wasn't being a good friend. You did nothing to warrant our distrust."  
  
"Why then?" Remus asked, cutting in as he paused to take a breath.  
  
"Why? I don't know. The reasons you named I suppose. There was no good reason. The worst part, worse than knowing that I may lose your friendship because I fell victim to the Wizarding Worlds stupid prejudices, is that my distrust nearly cost me the lives of everyone I loved. I put everyone in this room in danger..."  
  
"It was my fault too. I was the one who started the pointing of fingers. Prongs, you were just trying to protect your family; you shouldn't be at blame." Turning to the werewolf, Sirius said, "Blame me for it. Don't punish James for my mistakes."  
  
Glaring at the two men, Remus finally replied slowly. "I cannot forgive you, not yet, but... I still want to be friends. Let's just forget about it and move on with our lives. There is enough suffering going on already. I will not be the cause of anymore if I can help it. I will be going back to my rooms now. I will see you all later."  
  
As the door closed behind him, Julia breathed out a sigh of relief before turning to her boyfriend and smacking him over the head. "I cannot believe you suspected Remus! He's the nicest, most caring person I have ever met!" Turning back to her breakfast, she continued to mumble to herself about his idiocy.  
  
Ten minutes later, after sitting in relative silence for a time, Julia laid down her fork and turned back to her boyfriend. "Sirius, I need to speak with you."  
  
"You already are," he replied grumpily.  
  
"No, I meant alone..."  
  
"Fine," he muttered, rising to his feet.  
  
Once they were outside the door and in the empty corridor, Julia smiled up at him nervously. At his questioning expression, she said, "I know that I should have told you sooner but I had to be sure first. When I finally was, all this Secret Keeper business began and you were stressed, and I just couldn't tell you."  
  
Gently pressing his finger to her lips to still her rambling, he murmured, "Tell me what?"  
  
Taking a deep, calming breath, Julia whispered excitedly, "Sirius, Honey, I'm pregnant!"  
  
Staring at her blankly, he finally gasped out in disbelief, "You're what?"  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, I'm positive."  
  
"Oh... I'm going to pass out."  
  
Laughing at his stunned expression, she cupped his face in her hand. "Are you happy?"  
  
Looking down at her, an excited smile crept onto his face, growing larger by the second. "We're going to have a baby?" At her nod, he let out a loud whoop of joy. "I'm going to be a father! I have to tell Remus and James!"  
  
----------  
  
That night, in the safety of the rooms that had been provided for them, Sirius and Julia sat together.  
  
"Sirius," Julia snapped, rather annoyed, "the baby isn't even formed yet. You can't feel it kick if it has no feet!"  
  
"Maybe I could if you would just hold still!" Sighing, Julia decided it was probably best to just stay still. "You know, I think I feel something!"  
  
"You do?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah, there is a bump right," pulling something out of thin air, he finished with, "here." Looking at the small box held in his hand, she held it as if it were a bomb when he set it in her hands. "Open it."  
  
Lifting the lid cautiously, she gasped in shock when she saw the large diamond that lay inside the velvet casing. Glancing back at Sirius, she was surprised to see him kneeling down in front of her.  
  
"I know that it seem that I am just doing this because you're carrying my baby but. . . Julia, I love you. I've always loved you. I loved you when we were enemies; when I was dying you green and you were forcing me to confess my true love to McGonagall. I have always known that one day I would marry you, that you were the only one for me. I am asking you now, because I love you, will you marry me?"  
  
Blinking back tears, Julia threw her arms around him, murmuring over and over, "Yes!"  
  
----------  
  
Sitting in the elegant rooms they had been given, Lily and James were playing on the floor with their son when two raven haired whirlwinds burst into the room. Used to this behavior, the Potter's proceeded to help Harry stack his blocks, completely ignoring the commotion. Harry though looked up at his Godparents and held up his arms.  
  
"Up, up!"  
  
Grabbing the little boy up, Sirius smiled at his Godson's exclamation of, "Pa-foo!"  
  
Glancing up at the other couple, Lily sighed. "Isn't it a little late for you to be terrorizing people? Especially people who are going to have to put to bed a now wound up baby?"  
  
"Oh, Lils," Julia squealed, her hazel eyes shining with delight, "I would have waited but I just couldn't!" Smiling with amusement, Lily waved for the other woman to continue. "Sirius asked me to marry him!"  
  
Giving a loud shriek, Lily leapt up and threw her arms around her best friend.  
  
"Congratulations! Do you know when it is going to be? Oh, this is going to be so much fun to plan! Do you have a particular time of year you want? Spring would be lovely, especially when the flowers are just coming into bloom."  
  
"Lily," Sirius yelped, "Calm down!"  
  
Grinning sheepishly, Lily turned back to the other woman. "Well?"  
  
"Um... I was hoping to be married within the next month, before the New Year..."  
  
"A month?" Lily asked incredulously. "You can't plan a wedding in a month!"  
  
"Well, we're going to," Sirius replied defiantly.  
  
"What's the rush?" James asked.  
  
Grinning happily, Julia replied, "I want to still be relatively skinny for my wedding and Sirius and I thought it would be best if we were married before the baby came."  
  
"Baby" Lily replied blankly.  
  
Laughing, James smacked Sirius on the back. "Congratulations Padfoot!"  
  
"Pa-foo!" Harry responded.  
  
Ignoring his son, James continued. "Are you sure you're ready for such a big responsibility?"  
  
"It's a little late if he isn't," Lily replied, finally catching on to what they were saying. Turning to her friend, she asked when she was due.  
  
Grinning, Julia chirped, "Late March, early April."  
  
"Oh!" Sirius exclaimed, "Let's go tell Moony!"  
  
----------  
  
December 24th dawned cold and clear, with only a light snow flurry raining down. In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, a small crowd of people gathered together in the beautifully decorated room. The house tables had been removed and down the center of the hall, a white clothed aisle had been laid, lined on either side by candles. The room was aglow in the candle light, the enchanted ceiling giving off a beautiful view of the winter wonderland morning outside. The guests inside lined the aisle, dressed in their best dress robes, eagerly awaiting the bride that would soon walk to the alter.  
  
At the alter, Albus Dumbledore stood in sky blue robes embroidered with snow flakes, smiling happily, his eyes twinkling merrily at the nervous groom by his side.  
  
"Sirius, it's going to be alright. Just take a deep breath. . ."  
  
Remus Lupin, dressed in navy blue robes, was attempting to calm the terrified man. For the past ten minutes, the caramel haired man had been repeating similar phrases, each more ineffective than the last.  
  
"What if she backed out on me?" Sirius hissed.  
  
"She didn't," James replied. Dressed in bottle green robes, James Potter was a picture of calmness, an easy grin setting carelessly on his lips. "She probably just lost her shoe."  
  
Grabbing his friend's shoulders, Remus forced Sirius to look him in the eye. Sirius Black, usually the carefree, unflappable member of the group was quickly falling to pieces. In stylish black robes, he was easily the handsomest of the group. The soft black hair that fell to the bottom of his ears lay artfully tousled from having hands run through it. Through dark blue eyes, Sirius looked nervously down at the slightly shorter man.  
  
"I'll go find out what's taking so long. James, don't let him pass out."  
  
As Remus walked off to find out why the bride was late, James turned to the groom.  
  
"Hey, Padfoot?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Are you excited that you're going to be a father?"  
  
Seeming to have found a topic of interest to the jittery groom, James just stood by and let the other man talk.  
  
"I can't wait! We've decided to decorate the nursery a yellow color since we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl."  
  
"Have you chosen any names yet?"  
  
"Names? Well, for a boy we were thinking Alec or Orion." At James' wrinkled nose, Sirius laughed. "We're still working on the boy names."  
  
"What about a girl name?"  
  
"We were thinking about Angel." The conversation came to a halt as Remus hurried back to the alter. "Well?"  
  
"Julia was feeling sick."  
  
Alarmed, Sirius asked worriedly, "Is she alright?"  
  
"She's fine," Remus replied soothingly. "It's just a little late pregnancy morning sickness."  
  
Nodding, a hush fell over the gathered crowd as the doors opened and Julia entered on her father's arm.  
  
In a simple flowing white gown, Julia was stunning. Though there were no frills or lace to the gown, the bride managed to make it look wonderful with her long chocolate waves of hair cascading down her back and the small bump of her stomach showing slightly. At the bodice of the gown, the material had been gathered together, giving it just enough elegance to make a flawless wedding gown.  
  
"Wow," Sirius murmured, stepping forward to receive his bride.  
  
----------  
  
"Ah!"  
  
The quiet of morning was broken on March 30, 1982 as Julia Black let out an ear-piercing shriek.  
  
"I know they hurt but must you scream so loudly?" Sirius snapped as he ran around the house searching for everything that would be needed at the hospital.  
  
"Give me my wand and I'll make you feel my pain!" Julia snapped.  
  
Shaking his head in exasperation, Sirius quickly called his friends and family through the fireplace, grabbed his wife by the arm, and apparated them to St. Mungo's.  
  
In the months since 1982 had begun, Dumbledore had managed to set up a town near Hogwarts that had wards surrounding it to keep all who wished to do harm to the occupants, out. It wasn't a permanent solution by any means and wouldn't last forever but, at the moment, all who lived within the boundaries were safe. The Potters, the Blacks, Remus Lupin, and most of the Order of the Phoenix now lived within those wards.  
  
Arriving at the bustling hospital, Sirius led his wife through the sterile, white corridors to the maternity ward. After settling Julia in one of the uncomfortable, puke green chairs, he hurried to the receptionists' desk. Minutes later, Julia was taken out of the waiting room and down the hall to the room where she would wait to have her baby.  
  
Rushing through the corridors, the large group that had gathered to wait on the new infants arrival, hurried up to Sirius.  
  
"Hey, Sirius, how are you holding up?" James asked, slapping the other man on the back.  
  
"How do you think he's holding up?" Remus asked. "Probably as well as you were when Harry was born!" Putting his hands in his hair, Remus began to pace up and down in front of them, mimicking James. "Oh, no, what if the baby dies? What if Lily dies? What if something goes wrong? What if the baby ends up in Slytherin?"  
  
Punching his friend in the arm, James muttered, "Shut up."  
  
Smiling weakly, Sirius sank down into a chair. "I don't think I'm ready for this," he muttered.  
  
"Hey now," Lily whispered, kneeling down in front of him and setting Harry in his arms. "You'll be a great father. Look at how good you are with Harry."  
  
Glancing down at the small boy in his arms, Sirius smiled. "Our kids are going to be great friends," he replied decisively.  
  
"I'm sure they will be," Lily smiled.  
  
"Mr. Black?" an old witch with graying hair asked.  
  
"That's me."  
  
"Your wife is asking for you and your friends."  
  
Nodding, Sirius hurried into the hospital room, the group of friends right behind him.  
  
The next few hours passed quietly with little excitement. As morning became afternoon and afternoon became night, most of the people who had come to visit with the Blacks were forced to leave until only the Potters, Blacks, and Remus remained.  
  
"This is taking forever," Sirius grumbled, flipping through the stations on the Wizarding Wireless, ignoring his wife's groan of pain as another contraction passed.  
  
"Try to be a little more sympathetic, Sirius," Lily snapped.  
  
"Can't. Hungry."  
  
Shaking her head in exasperation, she looked up as a doctor came in.  
  
"We're all ready Mrs. Black. Could any who are not the father please wait outside?"  
  
Hopping to her feet from her perch on the side of the hospital bed, Lily smoothed the damp hair off of Julia's brow. "You're going to be just fine. I'll see you soon."  
  
As he stepped out of the room, James gave Sirius a thumbs up.  
  
----------  
  
Two hours later, at 8:23 pm, a little girl was born to Sirius and Julia Black. A perfectly healthy child, the girl had a head full of wispy black curls and the largest pale blue eyes. At first, doctors feared that the child may be blind or be at risk for blindness due to the light color of the irises, but it was still too early to tell. The little girl could see at the moment though, this was known for certain.  
  
The strangest thing is, when a child is first born, it cannot see immediately; this infant could most definitely see right after birth and knew what it was seeing. The most frightening thing was that, when born, the Black girl did not cry. Without a sound, the seconds old baby silently studied the world through eyes that held too much knowledge.  
  
----------  
  
Panting heavily, Julia took the newborn baby in her arms and looked down on her. Large blue eyes gazed up at her, seeming to bore into her with a knowing look. Feeling a slight shiver of fear, Julia tore her eyes from her child and looked up at the doctors.  
  
"Why isn't she crying? Is there something wrong with her? Babies are supposed to cry when they're born!"  
  
Shrugging, the doctor replied uncomfortably, "The infant first cries to force the mucus out and air into its lungs, and also, out of fear. Your daughter in breathing normally so I see no need to worry."  
  
Sitting on the bed next to his wife and newborn daughter, Sirius reached out and allowed the little girl to wrap her tiny hand around his finger. Yawning tiredly, the baby closed her eyes, never letting go of her father's finger.  
  
"She's precious," Sirius whispered, staring down at the tiny face. Looking back up at Julia, he asked, "What should we name her?"  
  
Gazing down at the infant, Julia shivered. Something was wrong- different. 'No good is going to come of this girl. Bad things will always follow you.' Hugging the small body to her chest, she sighed. 'I will protect you though. Forever and always. . .' Looking back up at her husband momentarily, she glanced back down. "Destiny; her name shall be Destiny."  
  
"Destiny?" Nodding, Sirius murmured, "I like it. Why Destiny though?"  
  
Shaking her head in confusion, Julia lifted her eyes to meet his. "I just have this feeling, this horrible feeling that she will live up to the name."  
  
Swallowing nervously, Sirius shifted his gaze to the child. Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, he whispered, "Destiny Black." 


	2. Rosaline and the Monster

Rosaline and the Monster  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Time passed and soon spring turned to summer before spring once again returned. Destiny proved to be an easy child. She rarely cried and was content with what she had. Remarkably, the little girl progressed faster than most children; by the time that most were getting the hang of crawling, Destiny had begun to walk. Though very proud, the Blacks' were slightly worried. It was obvious that Destiny was going to end up being a very special child; if things kept up the way they were going, the child would find it immensely difficult to fit in.  
  
Shortly after Destiny's first birthday, the little girl performed another amazing feat: she began to speak. This in itself was impressive but not impossible. The impossible came in the word that was spoken.  
  
On June 15, 1983, the Blacks and Potters met, ready to go picnicking and spend the day outdoors. After sitting down to lunch, Lily began to try and force Harry to eat.  
  
"I don't understand it!" Lily exclaimed. "He never wants to eat when I'm ready to feed him, only when there is no food even remotely close by!"  
  
Chuckling, Sirius replied, "Destiny will eat anything you put in front of her but will never cry to let us know when she's hungry."  
  
As the conversation continued, the children were set in a muggle play pen so as not to attract unwanted attention from the non-magical world.  
  
"The attacks have been becoming more brutal by the day," James said, sighing in frustration. "If something is not done soon, Voldemort could very well take over the entire world in a decade or two."  
  
"We'll stop him," Julia replied forcefully, determination clearly written on her face.  
  
"Of course we will," Lily replied before muttering to herself, "Let's just hope it doesn't kill us all in the process."  
  
Grinning, Sirius elbowed Lily gently. "Getting a little pessimistic on us, aren't you?"  
  
Grinning sheepishly, she ducked her head. "Sorry."  
  
Clearing his throat, James lowered his voice as a group of muggles came and spread out their picnic blanket near theirs. "Speaking of You-Know- Who-"  
  
"Voldemort."  
  
Freezing, James looked over at Julia. "Did you say something?"  
  
"No," she replied. "I thought it was just me hearing things. Lily-" Seeing her friend staring right past her, she turned her head and followed her gaze. Destiny was standing at the edge of the playpen, hands pressed flat against the netting.  
  
Crawling over to where the children were, Lily asked Destiny if she had said something. Smiling widely, the baby showed off a few small, pearly white teeth.  
  
Swallowing, Sirius said, "You-Know-Who."  
  
Immediately, Destiny smiled and said in a small voice that resembled the soft ringing of wind chimes, "Voldemort!"  
  
Destiny just giggled as all of the grownups mouths dropped open.  
  
"Um, Padfoot," James asked, "when did your daughter start speaking?"  
  
"Just now," Sirius replied faintly.  
  
"Voldemort?" Julia suddenly snapped. "Our daughter's first word is VOLDEMORT?"  
  
"Well," Lily replied, trying to comfort the distraught woman, "at least it's a big word. I mean, Harry's first word was up. It's. big."  
  
"My daughter's first word was the name of a psycho mass murderer," Julia snapped. "You're not going to be able to make me feel better."  
  
Clearing his throat, Sirius hurried to his feet. "Well, I do believe it's time for us to be going." Grabbing his daughter, he took his wife's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Thanks for lunch. Um. bye."  
  
Watching his friends' abrupt departure, James shook his head in disbelief. "That is one strange little girl."  
  
*****  
  
On November 4, 1983, Julia Black gave birth to her second child after a smooth and easy pregnancy. Born in the dead of night, the little girl had large hazel eyes, little black tufts of hair and a good pair of lungs that were used loudly as she came into the world screaming. The Blacks were more than a little relieved to find their new daughter appeared to be normal with no sign of any differences.  
  
Rosaline was the name given to the little girl. Rosaline, fair rose, the name given to those who were destined to be heartbreakers. From the very beginning the name suited her well. With lips as red as a rose, the infant enchanted all who met her. All but one.  
  
"Sweetie, don't you want to see your little sister?" Julia asked, trying to show the infant to her eldest daughter.  
  
"No!"  
  
From the moment she had stepped through the door with the infant, Destiny had been doing her best to stay away from the other girl.  
  
"Is she still trying to hide?" Sirius asked, coming into the living room and standing next to his wife.  
  
"Yes. It's the strangest thing."  
  
"Maybe she's jealous."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Walking over to the couch that Destiny was hiding behind, Sirius crawled around and sat beside her.  
  
"What's the matter, honey?"  
  
Looking up from where she had been resting her head on her knees, she gave him a blank look clearly not understanding what was being said.  
  
Sighing, Sirius reached out and picked up the small child. It was easy to forget how young she was until she showed her age through ignorance. Carrying Destiny around the chair, he made his way to the door. As they passed Rosaline, Destiny began to struggle to get away. Hurrying past, Sirius set the little girl on a chair and handed her a cookie.  
  
"I know you can't understand me but I'm going to say this anyway. Rosaline is not going to replace you. You'll always be my baby."  
  
Staring up at him through wide innocent eyes, she smiled before climbing down from her chair and picking up a toy from the floor.  
  
"Well?" Julia asked later when the kids were in bed.  
  
"She's just jealous. She'll be fine."  
  
*****  
  
Winter came and soon summer returned with green leaves and bright flowers. As the months had passed, Destiny had finally stopped running from the other girl. Instead, she now sat and watched her sister without blinking.  
  
After the children had been put down to sleep in the nursery for the night, Sirius and Julia made their way to bed. Not much later, Julia, unable to sleep, slipped silently out of bed and made her way to their room. Opening the door, her eyes landed on the two shapes by Rosaline's crib.  
  
'Two?' Julia thought, whispering the spell to light the candles in the room. With a gasp of shock and a shiver that shook her to her very bones, she realized what was happening. In less than a second, she had screamed for her husband as she darted across the room. Grabbing Destiny by the scruff of her nightgown, she hauled the little girl away from the crib and snatched the pillow off of Rosaline's face. Relieved to hear the babies terrified shrieks, she turned to the other girl.  
  
"What do you think you were doing?" Julia screamed at the child, giving her a rough shake.  
  
"What is going on in here?" Sirius shouted over all of the noise. Seeing his wife's harsh treatment of their daughter, he pulled the little girl away and cuddled the curly haired child to his chest.  
  
"I came in here and found Destiny holding a pillow over Rosaline's face!" Julia gasped out hysterically, tears running down her face.  
  
"What?" Sirius gasped, looking down at the little girl who was clinging innocently to his neck. "Why would she-"  
  
"I don't know!" his wife cried in return. "Oh Sirius, what are we going to do?"  
  
"We. We'll put her in her own room."  
  
"What if she tries again?"  
  
"What do you want to do," Sirius snapped, "put a two year old in Azkaban?"  
  
"I just never thought a two year old was capable of that kind of hatred."  
  
"We'll keep an eye on her; try to teach her to be more like a normal child." Looking at his wife helplessly, he whispered, "What else can we do?"  
  
*****  
  
Life continued in the Black household with the only change being how close an eye they kept on their daughters. Immediately after the nursery incident, Sirius and Julia decorated the guest room in pink flowers and moved Destiny in. At night, wards were put up to allow people into the room, but would keep her from leaving.  
  
Strangely, immediately after that night, Destiny stopped showing any dislike for the other girl. She left stuffed animals on the carpet for Rosaline to play with, tried to carry her around, and acted as if nothing had ever happened.  
  
"I just don't get it," Sirius mumbled one afternoon as he watched his children play together.  
  
All in all, Julia and Sirius were enjoying the change. Unfortunately, the peace was not to last.  
  
As Destiny's third birthday came and went, the little girl began to have horrible nightmares. Every night she would wake her parents with loud, terrified shrieks that left the adults shaken. At first it was just at night when Destiny had been asleep for several hours, but soon the child began to insist they weren't dreams.  
  
"Destiny," Sirius sighed tiredly, "there is nothing in your room."  
  
"Monster," she insisted.  
  
"Look, I'll make it go away." Turning on the lights, Sirius looked under the bed, in the closet and made sure the windows were locked. "See? No monster." Seeing that she wasn't convinced, he asked her if she saw any monsters.  
  
Shaking her head, Destiny climbed into her bed and promptly pulled the covers over her head.  
  
Before long, the checking under the bed no longer worked.  
  
One night, as Sirius completed his nightly room checking ritual, he waited for Destiny to climb into bed. Seeing that she wasn't going to budge, he remembered he hadn't finished the ritual. Sighing, he asked if she saw any monsters.  
  
"Yes," she whispered.  
  
"Where?" Sirius asked, exasperated.  
  
"On the bed."  
  
"Honey, there is nothing under your bed."  
  
"No, ON my bed."  
  
Looking behind him, he saw only the pink and white frilly comforter and the stuffed pig named 'Oink' that always sat there.  
  
"I don't see anything." Not receiving a response from the terrified child, he asked what the monster looked like.  
  
"Brown, bloody hair, bloody face and clothes and SHE'S COMING CLOSER!"  
  
Screaming in terror, Destiny ran out of the room and darted into the kitchen, jumping into her mothers arms.  
  
"What in the world?" Julia asked, amazed.  
  
Confused, she hugged her daughter close. It was Sirius job to put Destiny to bed; she refused to go to sleep if it were anyone else.  
  
Coming into the spacious kitchen, Sirius shrugged at her expression.  
  
"Des saw her monster again."  
  
"Well, did you turn on the lights?"  
  
"Julia, the lights were on. The kid is seeing things."  
  
Sighing, Julia stood up and carried the child to her and Sirius room knowing the girl was not going to sleep in her own room that night or any night soon. Laying her on the bed, both parents stayed until she was fast asleep.  
  
Over the next two weeks the 'monster attacks' gradually grew worse. One day, when the Potters and Remus came to visit, the attacks changed.  
  
Sitting on the couches, the adults were talking and goofing around when it happened. From the upstairs room, a loud shriek shook the walls. Jumping to their feet, the Potters and Remus dashed upstairs to where Destiny and Harry were playing. Glancing at each other, the Blacks followed at a slower pace.  
  
In the room at the end of the hall, the adults found Destiny backed up against the wall, cowering away from something only she could see. Whimpering softly, the small girl put her hands over her eyes. Walking over to her, Lily knelt down.  
  
"What's the matter, honey?"  
  
"Monster!"  
  
"Monster?"  
  
Turning at the sigh from behind her, Lily listened as Julia explained about the nightly monster ritual.  
  
"It's so strange though," Julia concluded. "She's never had an attack in the daylight. I-"  
  
Interrupted by a sudden scream, they watched as the girl dove under her bed and rolled out on the other side. Gasping in surprise, they could only watch in shock as Destiny raised her hand and shouted, "Go!" Immediately a gust of wind flowed through the room. In horror, they watched as a person flickered in and out of existence before a loud crash shook the house and a person size hole appeared in the wall.  
  
"What- was- THAT?" James whispered haltingly.  
  
"Destiny's monster. Oh my God, it was real!" Turning to her husband, Julia hissed in terror, "We've been leaving our daughter in here with a real monster!"  
  
"What the bloody hell was it?" Sirius snapped, grabbing his daughter and cradling her against his chest.  
  
"A ghost," Remus replied calmly.  
  
"A what?" James asked. "I thought ghosts were visible."  
  
"They are. Ghosts are souls that have unfinished business that can never be completed. What we saw was a spirit. They either have business that has to be finished and can still be, or they have simply chosen not to leave."  
  
"What is a SPIRIT doing in my home?" Sirius snapped.  
  
"It's probably just looking for someone to complete its business. Destiny," Remus asked in the way you would talk to a small child, "is this the same monster or a different one from the others?"  
  
Looking up at him through large, slightly tilted topaz eyes, she replied softly, "New one."  
  
Staring at the little girl before them, Lily whispered, "Oh Merlin, I think she might be a Necromancer."  
  
*****  
  
After that horrible night, everything changed. Suddenly and without warning, the Blacks' lives were thrown into chaos. With the announcement that Destiny may be a Necromancer, wards were put up to keep anything not alive out. Every time the Blacks went out, because they couldn't remain in the wards forever, they watched to see if the child exhibited any strange behaviors. They were not disappointed.  
  
On an outing to Diagon Alley, Destiny was standing by her mother in a clothing store when she began to speak to empty air.  
  
"Hello, who are you? I'm Destiny and this is my mummy-"  
  
The conversation was brought to an abrupt end as Julia quickly dragged her away.  
  
It wasn't until Destiny's fourth birthday though, that all suspicions were confirmed without a shadow of a doubt.  
  
As the guest began to arrive, or only the Potters and Remus did due to the fact that Destiny had a tendency to start fights with other children, Julia welcomed them into the house. It was colorfully decorated in streamers, balloons, and bubbles that floated everywhere.  
  
"Happy birthday, Dessy!" Harry exclaimed, shoving a colorful box into her hands.  
  
"Hi, Harry! Want to see my pet rocks?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
Running upstairs, the children left the adults to talk.  
  
"How are you two holding up?" Lily asked sympathetically.  
  
"We're doing alright," Sirius replied. "We're trying to keep her actual use of her powers to a minimum and it seems to be working. She has begun to talk more and acts more live a living person than an inanimate object."  
  
"Mummy, Daddy, look what Dessy can do!"  
  
Turning their attention to the birthday girl, they waited.  
  
Glancing warily at her parents, Destiny finally scrunched up her face with her eyes shut tight and concentrated. After several seconds, a face coated in blood and gore flickered into view before vanishing.  
  
"Destiny Black," Julia snapped, "you stop that right now!"  
  
"No!" Remus shouted. "Destiny, do that again and make sure the person doesn't go away."  
  
"Remus," Julia ground out through gritted teeth, "we're trying to stop it, not encourage it."  
  
"You cannot ground out what she is! Just be thankful for it and move on. Besides, I know that woman."  
  
"You knew her?" James asked.  
  
"You did too. It's Katherine."  
  
"Oh, Remus, I know you miss you wife," Lily replied, pity clear in her voice, "but what are the odds?"  
  
"It was her," he replied stubbornly. "I'll show you when Destiny does it again. Go on, honey."  
  
Looking to her parents for permission, she closed her eyes and began again. Flickering into view, it was indeed a transparent Katherine that appeared. Smiling softly, the spirit suddenly vanished as Destiny passed out from exhaustion. Startled, the adults looked over to where Destiny was sprawled on the carpet.  
  
Stunned, nobody moved until Harry asked curiously, "Is Dessy dead?"  
  
"Of course not," Lily replied as the others crowded around the girl. "She's just taking a nap."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
*****  
  
Late, on a cold October night in 1986, Destiny snuck quietly out of her room and slipped out of the house. Walking silently through the night, she melted from one shadow to another, never allowing the light to touch her. Reaching her destination, Destiny slipped through the bars of the fence and continued walking. Moving through the grass rather than taking the paved walkway, she weaved expertly through the grave stones, never giving them a second glance. Stopping next to a small, plainly carved stone, Destiny sat down and leaned back against it.  
  
"You're late."  
  
As the voice floated from the seemingly empty darkness, the small girl hopped to her feet and smiled brightly, not looking sorry in the least.  
  
"Sorry, my mummy and daddy took forever to go to sleep and then I had to break through the wards and locking spells."  
  
"Just sit down."  
  
Plopping back down, she looked up at the man before her. With pure white hair that fell to the bottom of his ears and bottomless charcoal eyes, Stanton was every bit the emotionless, unfeeling vampire from stories. Having lived during the Crusade of Kings, the man had a dangerous air about him that showed he was more than capable of defending, or attacking, when needed. Born in 1169 as an unknown illegitimate son of King Richard I of England, Stanton had been raised in the country side by his Noble-born mother and held himself with the arrogance of the high born. Though he held no claim to the thrown, being illegitimately born was not what caused him to be hidden away. From a very early age, Stanton began to show powers of the dark arts. By the time that the world began to realize that he held the powers of the Necromancer, his 21st birthday had come and Stanton was fighting in King Richard's army against the Muslims. Fighting for his life, Stanton chose the life of the vampire over the horrible end of the Necromancer.  
  
"Well now," a woman's voice spoke from the darkness, "what have we here?"  
  
"Alexia de Winter reincarnated," Stanton answered lazily, leaning against a nearby headstone.  
  
"Does she remember anything from her previous lives?"  
  
"No," Destiny replied.  
  
"Nothing about Necromancy?" Shaking her head, Destiny waited for her to continue. Sighing, Constance ran her hand through her white hair that was streaked with red.  
  
Constance Meara was the Necromancer that ruled before Stanton. Born a stable keepers daughter, Constance grew up poor and begging for food when the money was slow. Already having lived two previous lives, the woman knew what was to become of her on her twenty second birthday, that this may very well be her last. Indeed she was right. On her twentieth birthday, Constance chose vampirism over death and pain, before the curse of the Necromancer could take hold of her completely.  
  
"We'll start from the beginning then. Necromancy is the ability to see the dead, talk to the dead, and make the dead visible to the living. With these powers, you will be one of the most powerful creatures in the world. You will also become the most hunted. Since Necromancy can go very wrong, it is considered the darkest Dark Art and if found performing any such magic, you will be executed without a chance to plea your case. Luckily though, it is a relatively forgotten magic and hasn't been used in 300 years so you will be able to get away with more. The first rule you need to learn though is to NEVER let the public know what you are. If they find out, no matter how forgotten, you will die screaming."  
  
Making sure Destiny was properly wide eyed, Constance continued.  
  
"The Necromancer has many other abilities, but you will have to find most of them out on your own. Everyone has a different power level so talents differ."  
  
"The most important part of being a Necromancer is this: protecting your people. You, Destiny, are the Queen of the Dark Creatures. All non- humans will live or die by your commands. Right now, we rule ourselves, but when you take control, we will be a group instead of a scattered bunch of people. You will be in charge of choosing our fate."  
  
"Okay," Destiny murmured. Tilting her head to the side innocently, she asked, "How do you know all of this?"  
  
"Stanton and I were both Necromancers," Constance replied.  
  
Excitedly, Destiny bounced up and down where she sat. "So, you're both just like me?"  
  
Wistfully, Constance said, "Once we were, but not anymore."  
  
"Why?" Destiny asked sadly.  
  
"Because," Stanton replied, speaking for the first time since the lesson began, "there can only be one Necromancer at a time. As their twenty- second birthday approaches, they begin to fade. There are only two outcomes that we know of. One is that they will fade away, which is the natural death or they can chose to become a vampire. If they chose vampirism, they shall live forever but will never be reborn if they are killed. If they allow themselves to fade, they will die and reincarnate. In your last life as Alexia de Winter, you chose the second choice. Constance and I chose the first one and lost all of our powers."  
  
"I'm sorry," Destiny whispered her eyes wide with childlike horror. Worriedly, she finally said, "None of this is going to make the monsters go away though."  
  
Giving an exasperated sigh, Stanton turned to Constance in annoyance. "I told you she was still too young."  
  
With a level look, Constance replied coolly, "She understands what is being said even if the body she wears is unable to communicate it. Telling her what she needs to know will make her better equipped to handle what is to come. With the Dark Lord on the rise, she's going to need to be an asset to the side she joins or she will be killed."  
  
Cutting in, Destiny exclaimed, "What about the monsters?"  
  
"Your monsters are just ghosts. If you help them, they will go away. If you run from them though, they will follow you and their numbers will grow even larger as more come."  
  
"So," Destiny asked uneasily, "I have to talk to them?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh." Looking at the ground, the little girl mumbled, "But they're icky."  
  
*****  
  
Later that night, as Destiny came quietly into the house and snuck back up to her room, she froze at the sight of the very familiar face of the monster sitting on the couch in the living room. From where she stood, the monster didn't look very scary. In fact, she looked like a normal person who had been hurt. Gathering up her courage, she approached.  
  
"Hello?" she called out tentively.  
  
Spinning around in surprise, the monster looked startled at being addressed by her. Now that she was close enough to be seen clearly, Destiny could tell that the monster was not only a human, it was also a girl. With large brown eyes and shoulder length hair that was matted with blood, Destiny could tell very easily.  
  
Hesitantly, Destiny said, "I'm sorry I screamed and ran from you. You just scare me."  
  
"I'm very sorry," a faint voice replied.  
  
"My name is Destiny and I'm this many," she announced, holding up four fingers.  
  
Smiling softly, the friendly monster said, "It's nice to meet you Destiny. I am Katherine Carrillo Lupin, Remus Lupin wife."  
A/N: I am SO sorry this took so long. I have had no time and since the end of school is approaching, I'm going to be having even less time. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner, but don't count on it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! 


	3. The First Death

The First Death  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Moony?" Destiny asked. "Moony isn't married!"  
  
"I suppose he wouldn't be considered married anymore." Seeing her confused expression, Katherine smiled softly, stopping immediately when her bloody teeth had obviously frightened the child. "Honey, do you know what I am?"  
  
"A. ghost?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Curious, Destiny moved forward to where she could hear the faint voice better. "How did you die?"  
  
"How did I die?" Glancing down at her invisible feet, Katherine blinked back tears. "Have a seat child and I shall tell you my story."  
  
*****  
  
Katherine Carrillo was born in Bristol, England where she grew up as an only child. At Hogwarts, she lived in Gryffindor Tower and was very close friends with Lily, Julia, Selena, and the Marauders.  
  
"After Hogwarts," Katherine said, "I decided to join the war against Voldemort. I was never much of a dueler, so I decided to be a Medi-witch and help those who were injured."  
  
"One night, after a particularly violent battle where many Aurors were injured or killed, I was tending the wounded back at camp when we were attacked. With so few able to fight, the medics were forced to join the battle. The fighting was brief and brutal. With so many wounded that we had to protect, we were unable to defend ourselves. Nobody survived from the Light side. I was killed when the hospital tents were over taken." Shaking her head sadly, she murmured, "We never stood a chance."  
  
"That still doesn't answer why you are here."  
  
"I was murdered which left me with unfinished business."  
  
"What business?"  
  
"You don't need to worry about it, child."  
  
"Why do you stay here and not follow Moony?"  
  
Leaning forward, Katherine said, "Remus no longer needs me; you do. You have no idea what your life is going to be like as you grow up. I am not interested in the choices you are going to make or what kind of person you are going to grow up to be. I am just here to see that you DO grow up."  
  
*****  
  
Time began to pass as it always does and soon a year had gone. As Christmas approached, a flurry of activity overtook the Blacks' home. The annual Christmas party was to be held again, and this year it was Sirius and Julia's turn to be the hosts.  
  
Sitting on the large leather arm chair that was her father's favorite, Destiny sat and watched the commotion curiously.  
  
People and house-elves rushed here and there, setting up decorations, tearing down decorations that had just been put up by someone else, setting out food with charms on it to keep it fresh, and cursing and swearing loudly over the cheerful holiday music that floated throughout the room.  
  
Smiling happily, Destiny watched her father struggling to put the family's angel ornament on the top of the tree without using magic. Sirius had been attempting to do so for over thirty minutes now and had almost knocked the tree over three times.  
  
Giggling, Destiny climbed out of the chair and went up to her room.  
  
At five in the evening, the Potters arrived. As was the custom, they placed all of their gifts under the Blacks' tree and settled down to spend the night with their friends.  
  
*****  
  
Christmas morning dawned clear, with a blanket of fluffy snow covering the ground. As soon as dawn had arrived and the sun had begun to give off its first rays of light, Harry climbed off of the bed he was sharing with Destiny and ran to his parents' room.  
  
"Mummy, Daddy, wake up! Christmas is here! We have to go open presents!"  
  
"Hmm." James mumbled, shoving his son off of his back, where he had been residing. "Harry, it's too early."  
  
"No, it's not! Please?"  
  
Sitting up slowly, Lily reached over and shook her husband. "Get up, James. You know he's not going to stop until we're up." Turning to her son, Lily told him to go get Destiny and to wake up the others.  
  
"Harry," James called, "Make sure to jump on Sirius."  
  
"James!"  
  
"What? He had his kids jump on us last year!"  
  
Shaking her head, she muttered, "You're just never going to grow up are you?"  
  
"Of course not. Where's the fun in acting like an adult?"  
  
Not bothering to reply, Lily shoo-ed Harry out of the room.  
  
*****  
  
"Dessy, Dessy, wake up!"  
  
Yawning, Destiny climbed out of bed and frowned. "Where's your Mummy and Daddy?"  
  
"They're getting dressed. Come on! Let's go jump on Uncle Sirius!"  
  
Grinning, Destiny darted out of the room and down the hall. Quietly opening the door, Harry and Destiny glanced at each other before running and jumping onto the bed.  
  
"What the-" Sirius yelped, sitting up.  
  
"Hi, Uncle Sirius!"  
  
Groaning, Sirius fell back into his pillows. "Hey there, Harry."  
  
"Presents?" Destiny asked, still jumping up and down on the bed.  
  
"Alright, present time. Hey, Jules, you awake?"  
  
"How could I not be?" she replied, never moving.  
  
Laughing, he pulled on his clothes before grabbing one kid under each arm and walking with them screaming out the door.  
  
"What is with all the racket?" Remus asked, stepping into the hallway from his room.  
  
Setting the children on the floor, Sirius yelled, "Get Moony!" before rushing at him as Padfoot.  
  
When Lily and James came out of their room, they couldn't help but laugh as Remus tried to fend off a slobbering Padfoot and two kids who were tickling him like there was no greater game in the world.  
  
"Prongs," Remus yelped, "help me!"  
  
"Sorry Moony old pal, but you're on your own."  
  
"Traitor!" he laughed.  
  
When everyone had finally made it downstairs and the presents had been opened, the adults began to get ready for the party. Just as everyone was finishing dressing, the guests began to arrive.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, it's so good of you to have come!"  
  
"Albus please," Dumbledore replied, a twinkle shining in his eyes.  
  
"Well, Albus, we're glad you're here," Lily replied.  
  
As more guests arrived, the house was soon full of laughter and happiness.  
  
Huddling together, the three Marauders's looked quickly to the empty space above the door. Slipping his wand out, carefully trying to keep it hidden, James pointed it at the door frame and muttered a spell quietly. Hurriedly replacing his wand in his robes, the three stood and waited.  
  
As the first set of people stepped through the doorway, the two were magically pulled together and couldn't pull free until they had kissed. The Marauder's mistletoe prank was quickly revealed and those who did not wish to be kissed began to actively avoid going anywhere near the door.  
  
Giggling, Lily tossed her camera to Remus and dragged her husband beneath the enchanted mistletoe. As their lips touched and a camera flash went off, catcalls began to echo through the room.  
  
Watching the grownups play beneath the ugly piece of bush, Harry frowned. They seemed to be having fun with that thing for some reason. Shrugging, Harry grabbed Destiny's hand and tugged her in front of the doorway. Not bothering to step beneath the mistletoe, Harry leaned forward and pressed his lips awkwardly to the little curly haired girl's in front of him.  
  
*****  
  
Having seen Harry and Destiny heading toward the prank, Remus poked James in the side.  
  
"I suggest you stop your son before he becomes attached to your Goddaughter."  
  
Glancing over his shoulder, James' eyes widened and he quickly started toward them.  
  
He hadn't gone more than a couple feet when Harry stopped suddenly and kissed Destiny right on the lips. Wide eyed, James grabbed the camera from his wife and snapped a picture. A chorus of awes went through the crowd who had seen and Sirius laughed.  
  
"Stealing my little girl's heart already. Looks like Harry's not going to end up as pathetic as his old man, eh James?" Sirius winked, nudging his friend with his elbow.  
  
"Are you suggesting, Mr. Black," Lily asked playfully, "that James only married me because he couldn't do any better?"  
  
Laughing, Sirius replied, "Of course."  
  
*****  
  
Playing with Harry soon became Destiny's favorite past time. Living right next door to each other, the two were always running back and forth between the two houses. Over the summer, a rope was tied between the two children's windows, and a bucket carrying messages and small objects was towed back and forth between them.  
  
Late in August of 1988, Harry and Destiny laid in the grass under the boards of a half finished tree house in Harry's yard. Rolling over onto her side, Destiny watched her friend.  
  
Lately, Destiny had been spending many nights with Constance and Stanton and worries had begun to creep up on her. With each lesson, her capability to handle the power had grown, and with it, a strange detachment. The detachment had left her feeling unable to understand the behavior of others that should have been completely natural. Watching others, Destiny had soon found that Harry was the only one with whom she felt completely safe.  
  
Swallowing erratically, she prepared herself to ask the question she knew she already knew the answer to.  
  
For months now, maybe more, Destiny had found herself suddenly knowing what was going to happen before it did. Not wanting to be any more different than she already was; she had decided to keep her new found gift a secret.  
  
"Harry?" Destiny asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We'll always be friends, right?"  
  
Turning his head to her, he smiled. "Always and always."  
  
"And. And you'll always be there when I need you? You won't go away just because other people tell you to?"  
  
"Nope, I'm never going to go anywhere you're not. You're my best friend."  
  
"You're my best friend too, but. What if something bad happens to you or some people don't want you to be my friend?"  
  
"Looking perplexed, Harry asked curiously, "What would happen and why would they not like you?"  
  
"Like, what if you die or something?"  
  
Grinning at her, he folded his arms beneath his head and looked back up at the fluffy clouds through the leaves of the tree.  
  
"Silly, Destiny. Kids don't die. What could possibly happen that would kill a kid?"  
  
Uneasily, Destiny forced out a strained laugh. "Nothing. You're right; kids just don't die. Bad things can't happen to good people."  
  
*****  
  
Standing in the shadows of a large oak tree, Constance watched as the seven year old girl snuck back into her home and went to sleep. Long after silence had descended on the night, the vampire remained, keeping her silent vigil in front of the house. Hearing a noise, Constance turned her head. It hadn't really been a noise so much a shift in air currents that had caught her attention. Stanton, dress as any high class college boy would, emerged from the shadows around the tree.  
  
"She's making remarkable progress," he commented, eyes never wavering from where they were locked on the darkened window of the girl's room.  
  
"Yes," Constance murmured, "she is."  
  
Glancing quickly over at the woman, Stanton returned his attention to the window. "Time has not yet begun to run out. We have plenty of time before we lose control of her. She will be ready in time."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Then what worries you enough that you would waste time standing here?"  
  
"I'm not worried that Destiny won't have the power or control to do what is needed, but that she will not be able to tell right from wrong."  
  
"We do what we can."  
  
"I fear it won't be enough."  
  
*****  
  
On Harry's tenth birthday, the Blacks arrived with presents and good cheer. Taking the gifts, Lily turned to address her son.  
  
"Harry, take Destiny and Rosaline out back to play." As the three ran off, Lily called out, "And stay in the yard!" Turning to her friends, she smiled. "We just took down our fence and haven't had a chance to replace it yet."  
  
"Stop worrying so much," James replied as he came into the kitchen and dropped a kiss on the top of his wife's head. "Harry's a good kid. He won't go looking for mischief."  
  
"Yeah," Julia said. "He's not like his father's friends," she said turning her glare on her husband.  
  
Out on the lawn, Destiny chased Harry around, trying to stick a flower in his hair.  
  
Flopping down on the ground, Rosaline began to whine. "This is boring!"  
  
Smiling slyly, Destiny replied, "Why don't you go ask Mum if we can have cake and presents now?"  
  
Nodding, Rosaline agreed and hurried around to the backyard and the kitchen door.  
  
"Finally!" Destiny muttered as her sister vanished. Turning to Harry, she smiled. "Let's go swimming in the river, Harry!"  
  
Shifting uncertainly, Harry said, "My Mum told us to stay in the yard."  
  
Sighing, Destiny replied with exasperation, "She only said that because Rosaline was with us. Besides, you know that the grown-ups will stay in the house for hours talking even if Rosaline goes in there and bothers them. We'll be there and back before they even know we're gone."  
  
"We'll be all wet though."  
  
Shrugging, Destiny said, "We'll tell them we were playing with the hose."  
  
After several more minutes, Harry relented and followed Destiny into the woods and down to the river.  
  
Pulling off her shoes, Destiny turned and dashed back up the hill before running back down and flying into the water. Coming up sputtering with laughter, Destiny splashed Harry and yelled for him to jump in. Hesitating, Harry pulled off his socks and shoes and stepped in.  
  
"You big baby!" Destiny laughed. "You're supposed to jump in!" Swimming to the bank, she slipped and slid her way through the mud and made her way back up the hill. Grumbling to himself, Harry followed.  
  
*****  
  
As Harry and Destiny ran past and vanished into the woods, Rosaline stood at the sliding glass door that led into the kitchen and watched.  
  
After having been sent away, Rosaline had waited, knowing that Destiny was going to do something she wasn't supposed to.  
  
'She's always doing bad things,' Rosaline thought bitterly. 'Well, she's not going to get away with it this time!'  
  
Following the two down into the woods, Rosaline only stayed long enough to know what they intended to do before she turned and dashed back to the house. Throwing open the door, she ran in.  
  
"Mummy, Mummy!"  
  
Waving the little girl away absentmindedly, Julia kept on talking.  
  
"So, we went to-"  
  
"Mummy, Destiny's gone swimming in the river!"  
  
"What!" Julia shrieked.  
  
"Destiny and Harry are playing in the river."  
  
"Oh my God," Lily murmured, horrified, "there are Grindylow in there!"  
  
*****  
  
Running back up the slope for the fourth time, Destiny turned to wait for Harry.  
  
"Come on, Harry!"  
  
Swimming to the edge, Harry was just pulling himself out when something grabbed his ankle and yanked him under. Struggling to get his leg free, Harry began to panic as his air supply began to quickly run out. Scrambling against the muddy bank, Harry fought desperately as he was pulled deeper and farther out into the river.  
  
*****  
  
"Harry?" Destiny called. "Stop playing around!"  
  
When he didn't resurface, she made her way down to the waters edge and called his name again. Not receiving a reply, Destiny began pacing frantically up and down the bank, trying to see into the murky water. Sliding into the water, she dove under and began to search for any sign of her missing friend.  
  
*****  
  
Harry knew he was losing the fight as his limbs began to grow heavy. The burning sensation in his lungs had long since gone beyond torture and darkness was swiftly closing in. Giving one last half-hearted kick, Harry gave in to the darkness and slid into deaths waiting arms.  
  
*****  
  
Coming back up and gasping for air, Destiny shrieked as a clawed hand grabbed her ankle and dragged her under.  
  
'No,' Destiny thought frantically as she began to struggle.  
  
'Break its fingers.'  
  
The voice seemed to float to her through a cloud, a memory long suppressed, speaking to her with absolute certainty.  
  
Reaching down, Destiny clamped her hands around the fingers and with all the inhuman strength in her, crushed the bones in the fingers to dust. Swimming for the surface, Destiny gulped in the sweet, fresh air before submerging again. Swimming along the bottom, she squinted to see. Feeling around, she finally bumped into something soft and yielding. Grabbing the body, she dragged it to the surface.  
  
"Hang on," Destiny mumbled as she tugged her friend to dry land.  
  
*****  
  
Shoving her way past the others, Julia ran for the river, never looking back to see if the others were following. Halfway there, she was overtaken by James, who quickly passed and dashed down the slope of the hill to the bank. Just as the five adults reached the river, they saw Destiny's little curl matted head emerge from under water and begin to drag an unconscious Harry to the shore.  
  
"Oh, God!" Lily shrieked, starting forward.  
  
Shoving her back into Sirius' arms, James dove into the water, yanked Harry away from the little girl, and swam with his limp son to the shore. Leaving Destiny in the middle of the river, all attention became focused on James and the little boy cradled to his chest. Laying the little boy on the ground, James felt for a heart beat.  
  
"There's no pulse!"  
  
Climbing out of the water, Destiny stood by and silently watched as the adults tried frantically to revive Harry. Twenty minutes later, all hope had been lost.  
  
*****  
  
By the time the group had reached the house, the Potters were inconsolable. Clinging to her son's limp body, Lily knelt next to the couch that Harry had been laid on and sobbed.  
  
"Mrs. Lily?" Destiny asked. "I-"  
  
"Why?" Lily shrieked, rounding on the eight year old girl. "Why couldn't you have just stayed in the yard like you were told to?"  
  
"Lily," James said dully, hugging his wife to him, "Leave the kid alone."  
  
"No! James, don't you see? Harry would not have left the yard if we told him not to. That means SHE made him!"  
  
Staring at the woman expressionlessly, Destiny turned and left the room. Walking out the front door silently, Destiny turned and started walking to the cemetery. Reaching the ornate gates, she slipped in and headed for the back wall.  
  
"Stanton?" she called.  
  
Receiving no reply, Destiny slid down to the ground. Sitting, not moving, she began to wait for the right moment.  
  
*****  
  
Hours after Destiny had left; Julia looked up from comforting the distraught Potters.  
  
"Rosaline, where is your sister?"  
  
Shrugging, the little girl said, "She left."  
  
"Where did she go?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I don't know. Mrs. Lily told Destiny that she had killed Harry, so she left."  
  
"Oh no." Lily whispered. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's alright," Julia whispered soothingly. "We'll find her." Turning to her husband, she said, "Go find Des."  
  
Nodding, Sirius left.  
  
Turning to her distressed friends, she herded them into the kitchen for tea.  
  
*****  
  
"Destiny!" Sirius shouted. He had been searching for over thirty minutes and the hour was beginning to grow late. Already the sun was beginning to set and still there was no sign of his lost daughter. "Destiny, please, if you can hear me, come out!" His only reply was the howling of the wind. "Destiny," he whispered, "where are you, baby?"  
  
*****  
  
As the sun began to set, Destiny rose to her feet and moved silently among the grave stones. Walking through the deserted streets, she stepped into the shadows and moved to the back door of the Potters' home. Glancing through the glass door, she watched Lily cry into her tea cup. James, with a heart broken expression, rubbed his wife's back but remained silent. There were no soothing words that would help.  
  
Turning, Destiny made her way to the picture window of the living room. Slipping through it, Destiny walked over to where the corpse laid. Calmly laying her hand on it, she paused to listen for a sound only she could hear. Removing her hand, she drew in a deep cleansing breath and relaxed. Placing one hand over the heart and one over the eyes, Destiny kneeled down and closed her eyes. Breathing slowly, nothing appeared to happen for several minutes. Abruptly, a white glow surrounded the corpse before turning to a light blue.  
  
As the power coursed through the body; both the corpse and the Necromancer floated into the air. Suddenly and without warning, Destiny's eyes snapped open and stared out unseeing. Murmuring softly in Latin, an unfelt wind flapped through the pairs clothing and lifter her hair into a halo around her head.  
  
"Exanumum arbitratus dego. Vespillon arbitratus aspiro. Anima laruae vita abscido. Cordis, battuo. Aspiro. DEGO!"  
  
Three times through Destiny hissed the incantation of the dead before leaning forward and breathing a stream of air into the boy's face.  
  
As suddenly as the wind had begun, it ended and they floated instantly back to the chair and floor respectively.  
  
Standing, Destiny turned and left through the window without a backward glance, leaving a boy with messy black hair and blue lips lying on the couch, completely still. 


	4. The Winds of Change

The Winds of Change  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Making his way back to the Potters' home, Sirius sighed in defeat. He had searched for his daughter long past dark and still there was no sign of her. Turning the corner onto the road where he and the Potters lived, he came up short. There, sitting on the ground against a tree, was his eight year old daughter.  
  
"Destiny?" Sirius called, hurrying over to her. "Where have you been? We've all been worried sick." Shrugging, the little girl began to draw in the dirt with a stick. "Lily didn't mean what she said."  
  
"Yes, she did."  
  
Kneeling, Sirius wrapped his arm around the skinny little girl. "No, she was just upset."  
  
"She was right though."  
  
"Des."  
  
Pulling away suddenly, Destiny rose gracefully to her feet and brushed off her behind. "It doesn't matter. What must be, will be."  
  
"Dest-"  
  
"I think you should go to the Potters now. I will be here when you return."  
  
Climbing to his feet slowly, he gazed down at her. "It's not safe for you to be out her in the dark."  
  
"It is for me. The night can not harm me. It is only the day that I fear." Confused, Sirius just stood there. "Go; I will be fine."  
  
Nodding reluctantly, Sirius turned to leave. "Don't you dare move from that spot," he called over his shoulder before breaking into a jog down the street. Reaching the house, he hurried in.  
  
Glancing up from where she stood next to James, Julia asked quietly, "Where is she?"  
  
"She's fine. She's waiting outside. How are you two doing?" he asked the Potters.  
  
Shaking her head dully, Lily whispered, "I have no more tears left to cry."  
  
*****  
  
From where she sat, Destiny whispered, "Aspiro."  
  
*****  
  
In the kitchen where the Blacks and Potters sat, a soft wind began to stir.  
  
"It was his birthday," James muttered. Sadly, he whispered, "Happy birthday, Harry."  
  
*****  
  
"My gift to you," the Necromancer hissed, "life. Dego!"  
  
*****  
  
On the couch where Harry lay, the corpse's chest rose, drawing in a rasping breath.  
  
*****  
  
"He was so excited that he only had one more year to go before he was going to go to Hogwarts. He kept saying how he was going to be an even better Marauder than we were," James said, smiling sadly. "Can you imagine, Padfoot, a better Marauder than the originals?" Sighing, he whispered, "He would have been too."  
  
Silence descended on the gathering. Staring at the tabletop, Sirius jumped when a choking sound came to his ears.  
  
"What was that?" Sirius asked.  
  
"What was what?" James replied.  
  
As the choking sound came again, Sirius said, "That!"  
  
"I don't-" James began, rising from his seat when he was interrupted.  
  
"Mummy?" a young boy's voice called out.  
  
Freezing, they just stared at one another.  
  
"Mummy?" the voice came again, tears becoming more pronounced in it.  
  
"Harry," Lily breathed, jumping to her feet and dashing into the living room.  
  
Following swiftly, they came around the corner and ran into Lily who was seemingly frozen to the floor.  
  
"Look," she whispered.  
  
Lying on the couch, Harry was leaning over the side, coughing weakly up some water from the river. Becoming once again animated, Lily gave a happy shriek and darted forward. Catching her son up in her arms, she cradled him to her, whispering over and over, "My baby; my baby." Within seconds James had joined her.  
  
Staring stunned, Julia whispered, "That's impossible. The boy has been dead for hours." Glancing at her husband, she asked weakly, "How is this possible?"  
  
Shaking his head, Sirius murmured, "Stay here. I'll be right back."  
  
Rushing out of the house and down the street, he stopped at the street corner where Destiny still sat waiting.  
  
"How?" he demanded, not bothering to explain his question.  
  
"I'm the Necromancer; it's what I do."  
  
"You brought him back from the dead. That has never been done before. Not even by a Necromancer. Nothing dead can be brought back to life. How did you do it?"  
  
"Does it really matter so long as he's alive?"  
  
"Yes!" Sirius growled. "If it can be done once, done by a child no less, then it can be done again! How did you do it?"  
  
"You've not been listening. Only I can do it. It's just part of what I am. The reason it hasn't been recorded that anyone has actually been raised is because most of the time, it goes horribly wrong. It has only been successfully done twice."  
  
"So, Harry is the third success?"  
  
"I never said he was a success."  
  
"Well, if he's a failed attempt, it's good enough!"  
  
"For now, but if I messed up even slightly, he may begin to rot in several days. I hear that it's absolutely horrible to rot while you're still living." Grinning nastily, she continued. "Other times the soul doesn't return to the body and you're left with an empty, breathing shell. Sometimes a demon returns in the souls place."  
  
"I've never read anything about that."  
  
"It was never written down because it was hoped that if it wasn't, the Art of Necromancy would be forgotten."  
  
"But it wasn't."  
  
"No, it wasn't. Nature has a way of making sure that certain crafts are never fully lost. From that loss, Necromancers were born. We remember what has been forgotten for centuries. We keep the craft alive even if we usually don't actively use it."  
  
Going back to the earlier part of the conversation, Sirius said, "How will we know if Harry's a demon or not?"  
  
"I will know."  
  
"And. And what if he begins to rot?"  
  
"We kill him."  
  
"You mean you just take whatever gave him life away, right?"  
  
"No, if he's to be killed, it's easier to just stab him to death."  
  
"Oh," Sirius muttered, shocked. Watching his daughter rise to her feet and head toward the Potters' house, he whispered, "Oh, God!"  
  
"One more thing; nobody needs to know that Harry was dead. It will just cause problems for him and will most likely get him killed. "  
  
"If we don't have to anyways," Sirius sighed.  
  
"If we don't have to anyways," Destiny agreed. "Also, Harry, if it worked, will remember nothing of being dead. Don't tell him he was. He doesn't need to know and will not handle it well."  
  
"All right, I'll make sure to tell Lily and the others."  
  
"Don't bother. If it worked, their memories will alter themselves to make them believe that something else happened."  
  
"Your magic?"  
  
"Yes. If you had stayed, your memory would be altered too. Now, because you left, you will have to keep this secret and talk about it with no one."  
  
"Why does it matter if they know?"  
  
"They may accidentally tell someone and they would eventually trace it back to me. Necromancy is illegal and the price of using it is death."  
  
He had taken several steps before he realized that Destiny had stopped. Seeing her questioning face, he said, "I'll take your secret to my grave."  
  
Eyeing him suspiciously, she said, "You had better."  
  
*****  
  
Returning to the house, Destiny walked up and kneeled in front of Harry who was squashed between his parents. Touching his forehead, she smiled.  
  
"I'm glad you're okay. We didn't think you were going to make it."  
  
"Of course he's alright," James said. "He's a Potter and Potters are tough!" As if to prove his statement, he ruffled Harry's hair.  
  
Nodding, Destiny slipped back into little kid mode.  
  
"Daddy, I'm tired!"  
  
Looking down at her watch, Julia exclaimed, "Good gracious! You and Rosaline should have been in bed hours ago!"  
  
Taking Rosaline's hand, she waited for Sirius to take Destiny's before saying to the Potters, "I'm so glad this all turned out alright and not the way it could have."  
  
"We all are."  
  
Walking out of the house, Sirius leaned down and muttered, "Well?"  
  
"It worked."  
  
*****  
  
On Harry's eleventh birthday, the letter he had been waiting for arrived.  
  
"Mum, Dad, it's here!"  
  
Looking up from her book, Lily smiled. "That's great, honey."  
  
"When can we go shopping?" Harry asked.  
  
"How about next week? I'm sure your father will want to go too."  
  
"Can Destiny go?"  
  
"Why don't you go ask her parents?"  
  
*****  
  
The next week came and soon the Potters and Destiny were flooing to Diagon Alley. Arriving, the two children ran up and down the street, dodging other shoppers in their excitement. Reaching the bank, Gringotts, the four hurried up to the high counter where a goblin sat staring at some parchment.  
  
"Excuse me," James said, "We would like to withdraw some money from the Potter vault."  
  
Handing the goblin their key, they waited while it was examined before taking the wild ride down and retrieving their money.  
  
"Uh," James mumbled, "I hate that bloody cart. I always feel like I'm going to hurl when I get off."  
  
"How is it," Lily replied, "that you can do those crazy stunts on a broom but you feel sick on a little cart ride?"  
  
Shrugging, James replied, "I have no idea."  
  
Moving down the street, Lily pointed to the wand shop. "Look, there's Ollivanders. Let's go get your wand first!"  
  
Nodding excitedly, Harry and Destiny ran ahead and entered the shop.  
  
"Hello?" Harry called out nervously.  
  
All around were shelves and shelves full of long skinny boxes. On the ground there were stacks of the boxes taller than Harry himself. Everything in the store was covered in dust and gave the appearance of having been abandoned for many years.  
  
"Is there anyone here?" Destiny called out.  
  
"Mr. Potter," a soft voice replied from the shelves to his right.  
  
Jumping, Harry spun around.  
  
"Um, hello," Harry said awkwardly.  
  
At the ding of the bell on the door, Mr. Ollivanders turned.  
  
"James Potter," Mr. Ollivanders said, "mahogany, eleven inches, pliable, yes?"  
  
"Er, yes," James replied, shifting nervous under the man's penetrating stare.  
  
"Lily Evans, ten and a quarter inches, swishy, willow. You succeeded nicely in charms I expect?"  
  
"Yes, sir, I did."  
  
Nodding, the old man turned and chose a handful of boxes.  
  
"Which is your wand arm?"  
  
"Um, my right," Harry replied, slightly distracted by the tape measurer that had begun to measure him without any help.  
  
"Here, seven inches, mahogany, stiff; try it." Holding the wand cautiously, he gave it a little wave before having it snatched away. "No, no, try this. Maple and unicorn hair, twelve inches." Before he could move his hand, it was yanked away.  
  
This occurred many times over the next twenty minutes and soon the floor was littered with boxes and wands. Glancing desperately at his parents, he saw that his father was trying not to laugh as he was slowly buried in the mountain of boxes.  
  
Moving back into the stacks, he heard the shop keeper mutter, "I wonder," before he returned with another box. Taking it carefully out of the box, he said, "An unusual combination this. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."  
  
As the wand touched his hand, he felt a warmth flow through his fingers. Waving it around, he watched as a shower of red and gold sparks shot from the end.  
  
"Bravo!" Mr. Ollivanders cried. "Curious though. Very curious."  
  
"Curious?" James asked.  
  
"Yes, very curious. Mr. Potter, I remember every wand I have ever sold. Every one. The phoenix who gave the feather to your wand gave only one other. Just one. It just so happens that the brother to your wand belongs to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I believe that we can expect great things from you. You-Know-Who does great things- horrible yes- but great.  
  
Swallowing loudly, he waited for his parents to pay before dashing out the door.  
  
"That man is so creepy," Lily muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the closed door of the shop.  
  
Nodding, James suggested they move on.  
  
Entering Flourish and Blotts, the Potters and Destiny began to gather the books that Harry would need. Watching the family collect the books, Destiny turned and made her way to a relatively empty section of the store.  
  
"When you see a Grim," Destiny read from the spine of a dark bound book.  
  
Taking it off of the shelf, she glanced at the picture on the front. Smiling down at the ferocious looking dog, she giggled. The Grim looked exactly like her fathers animagus. Browsing through several more books, she chose one that caught her eye.  
  
"The Art of Divination," she whispered. Glancing around to make sure that no one was looking, she took out the book and began to flip through it.  
  
"Interested in Divination, are you?" a drawling voice asked.  
  
Jumping, Destiny gazed wide eyed up at the boy who had spoken. With a pale, pointed face and white blond hair that had been plastered to his head, the boy towered frighteningly over her.  
  
"Well," he asked, "who are you?"  
  
"Um." she mumbled. Backing up a few steps, she answered his first question. "I don't know. What is Divination?"  
  
"It means you can see the future or something. Who are you anyway? Not a muggle, are you?"  
  
"No!" she snapped defensively. "My family is pure! There hasn't been a Mudblood in my family in centuries!" Narrowing her eyes, she snapped, "Who are you?"  
  
"I," he replied, his disgust with her plain in his voice, "am Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Really now?" she murmured.  
  
"Yes really. Now who are you?"  
  
"I'm Destiny Black."  
  
"A Black, eh?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"My father says that you're all a bunch of lazy, Mudblood lovers."  
  
"So you're going to judge me based on daddy's word? That, Draco Malfoy, is the mark of a child. If you can't think for yourself, you're not even worth insulting."  
  
Glaring at her, he was opening his mouth to reply when an older, taller version of Draco stepped up behind his son.  
  
"Well now," Lucius Malfoy said silkily, "Who is your little friend?"  
  
"Destiny!" Lily called, stepping around the shelf and into view. "We've paid for the books. It's time to go." Freezing at the sight of the long haired blond, she grumbled, "Lucius."  
  
"Lily, my dear."  
  
"What are you doing to the poor girl?" she asked accusation clear in her voice.  
  
"Absolutely nothing. My son was conversing with the girl and I stopped to see who she was. I had no idea she was some of your filth."  
  
Snarling, Lily opened her mouth to reply when James stepped in and began to yell at the blond.  
  
Watching the adults silently, she noticed Harry's bag sitting beside her. Making sure that the adults weren't watching, she carefully slid her book into the bag. Noticing that the blond boy had seen her, she stared at him calmly and waited for him to sound the alarm. After several seconds, he gave her a nod of respect and a small smile.  
  
Turning to the Potters, she said, "This is boring. Let's go look at the owls!"  
  
Effectively interrupting the conversation, Lily and James gave one last glare before grabbing the children and dragging them away.  
  
Outside the shop, Lily snapped furiously, "Those Malfoys, always believing they're better than everyone else. I'd like to show them!"  
  
"Relax, honey. Destiny, are you alright? What did he say to you?"  
  
Shrugging, she said, "Not much. Draco just wanted to know my name."  
  
"See Lily, no harm done. Let's not let them ruin our day. Now, how about those owls? Harry is most definitely going to need a pet at school."  
  
Eeylops Owl Emporium was dark and all around the room, jewel-bright eyes blinked down at them. Very quickly Harry found two owls that he liked. One had gray and white feathers and seemed very interested in following Harry around. The second was a snowy white one that was fast asleep in its cage.  
  
"Which one do you want, son?" James asked.  
  
"I like them both." Harry replied, glancing back and forth between the two.  
  
"Well, honey," Lily replied, "you can only get one. I'm sure the other one will end up in a lovely home."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Having been very quiet since entering the shop, Destiny had followed the Potters silently around, periodically touching her fingertips to her forehead. Blinking away the sudden images of Harry and a giant man carrying a bird away from the shop, Destiny pointed at the white one and said, "Get that one."  
  
"Now Destiny," Lily said, "let's let Harry decide which one he wants."  
  
"But he has to get it!"  
  
"Destiny-"  
  
"It's okay, Mum. I want to get the white one."  
  
Nodding, they went to pay for the owl.  
  
After completing their shopping and flooing back to the Potters', Harry and Destiny sat up in his room and let the owl out of its cage.  
  
"Why did you say I had to get this one?"  
  
Shrugging, the little girl picked at the carpeting. "Sometimes I just know things," she replied carefully. "I knew that you had to pick her."  
  
"Oh. Do you know what I should name her?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
When she didn't continue, Harry gave her a little prompt. "Well?"  
  
"It's getting dark," she said instead, rising to her feet. "My Mummy doesn't like me being out alone after dark."  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me what I'm supposed to name her?"  
  
Pausing at the door, she replied, "Hedwig," before closing the door behind herself.  
  
*****  
  
The remaining days before Harry was to start school passed quickly. Almost before anyone realized it, September 1st had arrived and the Potter household quickly descended into chaos.  
  
"Harry, I know you had more underwear than this! What did you do with it?" Lily called, digging frantically through the mess in her son's closet.  
  
"I don't know," Harry snapped as he brushed his teeth.  
  
"Well, you're going to have a bad wake up call one day when you have nothing to wear!"  
  
"Lily," James yelled up the stairs, "it's already in his trunk. Remember? You packed it all last night."  
  
"Oh," the red haired woman muttered, "right."  
  
Coming up the stairs, James kneeled next to where his wife sat clutching one of Harry's shirts to her chest.  
  
"Lily?" James asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"  
  
Giving a loud sniff, she whispered, "No, but I will be." Looking sadly around the room at the Quidditch posters and little quaffles zooming around on the wall paper, she sniffed again. "I'm just not ready to let my little boy go."  
  
Laughing softly, James pulled her into his arms. "He'll be back before you know it."  
  
"I know."  
  
*****  
  
Ten minutes later the Blacks appeared through the front door.  
  
Oh, Harry," Julia cried, grabbing up the boy in her arms, "we're going to miss you so much! It'll be so strange to not have you barging in and constantly making noise and messes with Destiny."  
  
Frantically Harry began to try and pull away from the woman's suffocating embrace. "I'll be back next summer!"  
  
Nodding, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Of course you will. At Christmas also."  
  
Glancing anxiously at his Godfather, Harry waited to be attacked by him.  
  
Laughing, Sirius hugged him and said, "I'm not going to strangle you too. Have fun and don't forget you have the Marauder name to uphold!"  
  
Standing at the back of the group next to Rosaline, Destiny watched the commotion in silence. Noticing her silence, Harry smiled at her.  
  
"You'll write me lots of letters, won't you?" he asked.  
  
Nodding slowly, she replied gently, "Yes. Do you remember that time I asked you if you'd always be my friend?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You said you would be. I expect you to keep your promise."  
  
Confused, Harry said, "Of course I will. I'll write to you all the time while I'm gone."  
  
Hugging her, Harry waved once more and stepped into the fireplace with his parents.  
  
Standing in the middle of the living room surrounded by her family, she had never felt more alone.  
  
"You don't understand," she whispered to herself. "That's not what I meant."  
  
Watching as the flames died down in the hearth, she knew that nothing would ever be the same. No matter how hard she tried, her and Harry would never be able to be the friends they had been for the last nine years. 


	5. Letters and a Diary

Letters and a Diary  
  
Chapter 5  
  
September 7, 1991  
  
Destiny,  
  
How are you? Are you bored yet without me there to entertain you? I'm most certainly not! The first week has gone by very quickly and it was also very interesting. Let me start at the beginning though.  
  
As soon as we arrived at the station, Mum began to freak out. She was crying and kept saying how she couldn't believe I was abandoning her or something like that. It was kind of hard to understand through the tears.  
  
Anyway, once I was on the train.  
  
*****  
  
Flying out of the hearth, Harry stumbled and fell heavily to his knees. Behind him he heard the flames flaring up again and jumped out of the way. Almost immediately Harry's trunk fell out with James tumbling out after it. Dusting himself off, James laughed and pulled Harry to his feet, brushing some of the soot off.  
  
"Enjoy the ride?" James asked mischievously.  
  
"Oh yeah, it was brilliant," Harry replied sarcastically.  
  
Behind them, the flames flared up again and out stepped Lily, calm and clean.  
  
"How do you always manage to stay so clean?" James asked in disbelief.  
  
Winking, Lily replied, "Magic." Turning to her son, she said, "Well now, we don't have much time before the train leaves so let's get your things into a compartment."  
  
Nodding, Harry was following his parents onto the train when Lily suddenly dropped her end of the trunk, causing James to drop his own end on his foot, and yanked Harry into her arms.  
  
"Oh no, my little boy's all grown up and leaving me!" she sobbed, squeezing the air out of him. "What am I supposed to do without you there?"  
  
"Mum," Harry gasped, "I can't breath!"  
  
"Lily, honey," James muttered, glancing about at the people who were beginning to stare, "You're making a scene."  
  
"Mum!" Harry cried in annoyance as his mother planted a big kiss on his face, "You're embarrassing me!"  
  
As Lily opened her mouth to give an indignant reply, a loud blast from the train cut her off and indicated that the children should be boarded by now.  
  
"Now, Harry," Lily was saying with huge sniffs that covered up her husbands voice, "You be good, stay out of trouble and get good marks. I don't want to be receiving ANY owls telling me you're in detention."  
  
"Harry, you have a legacy to uphold. I'm counting on you Son," James said, trying to override his wife's voice. "Make me and the Marauders proud!"  
  
Giving him a look of disgust, Lily helped shove her son's trunk onto the train before saying a tearful goodbye and pushing Harry onto the train just as it began to move. Leaning out the door, Harry waved until the station's platform vanished from sight before dragging his trunk down the corridor.  
  
After ten minutes of searching and not finding a compartment with any open space, Harry opened a door near the end of the train. Inside sat a girl with fuzzy brown hair, a boy with bright red hair and a large collection of freckles, and another boy who was fighting to hold onto his frog.  
  
"Er." Harry said, shoving his messy black hair out of his eyes and readjusting his glasses. "Hello, may I sit here? Everywhere else is full."  
  
"Of course," the girl replied quickly. "Are you a first year too? Are you from a magical family or did you just learn of magic?" Before he could reply, she continued. "I just learned of it. It was ever so much of a shock but I was oh so glad. Nobody in my family has ever had a talent such as this!" Wide eyed, Harry glanced at the other two boys. Both were staring just as openly at the girl. "Well?" the girl said finally, pausing to allow them time to reply.  
  
"Er, well," Harry started, "I come from a Wizarding family and this is my first year. I -"  
  
"Oh, excellent!" the girl cut in. "And you?" she asked the brown haired boy.  
  
"My parents are magical. They were afraid I wasn't going to be magical enough for Hogwarts. My Mum cried when -"  
  
"That's nice," she cut in.  
  
Babbling on for several more minutes, Harry finally managed to cut in.  
  
"I'm sorry, but what are all of your names?"  
  
"I'm Hermione Granger," the curly haired girl replied.  
  
Smiling, the red haired boy said, "Ron Weasley."  
  
"Neville Longbottom," the last boy replied.  
  
"I'm Harry Potter." Glancing out the window, he noticed that darkness had descended. "I suppose we should change into our robes now. We're almost there."  
  
Not much later, the Hogwarts Express slowed to a halt and the students poured from the doors and out onto the platform. At the sound of a booming voice calling the first years, Harry and the other children from the compartment followed the voice.  
  
Before them stood a man that towered over them more than any normal man ever could have. With shaggy hair covering his face and head, the man looked quite frightening. As he smiled down at the children, it caused most of them to smile back cautiously.  
  
"Whoa." Ron murmured. "Who is that?"  
  
"That's Hagrid," Neville replied. "He's a friend of my parents."  
  
Nodding, Harry said, "Mine too."  
  
Climbing into the boats that were waiting to carry them to the school, Harry waited eagerly for his first glimpse of the famed castle. Unconsciously holding his breath in his excitement, he leaned forward. With his first sighting, he was not disappointed. With high towers that disappeared into the clouds, Harry stared in amazement at the huge stone structure towering before him. It was just the way he had pictured it. For years James had gone on about the castle, with its secret passages, moving staircases and enchanted ceilings.  
  
Coming to a halt, Harry and the others climbed from the boats and followed Hagrid up the stairs and into the Entrance Hall. Greeting them was Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher and James' favorite teacher. After giving a short speech about the houses of Hogwarts and the point system, McGonagall turned and walked out of the Hall.  
  
Nudging each other, the other first years began to speculate about how they would be sorted.  
  
"I heard we have to perform some type of spell," Neville said worriedly, chewing nervously on his lower lip.  
  
"No, my brothers said that we have to wrestle a troll!" Ron exclaimed, shifting nervously from foot to foot.  
  
Listening to them, Harry couldn't help but grin. His mother had told him how he would be sorted after his father had scared him so bad he hadn't wanted to come. Deciding it was time to cut in, Harry asked which house they wanted to be in.  
  
"Gryffindor," Ron said. "My whole family is there."  
  
Nodding, Neville agreed with him.  
  
"I want to be in Gryffindor too," Harry replied, "but Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad."  
  
Hearing McGonagall telling them to line up, they got behind each other and followed her through a door and into the Great Hall. Just as his father had said, the ceiling was charmed to show the sky outside. Four long tables lined the hall, each with many people turning to watch them walk by. Lined with thousands of candles that floated over head, the place was magnificent.  
  
Looking up at where the teachers sat, Harry watched as McGonagall placed a stool and an extremely battered, dirty hat in front of the first years. Staring at the hat, Harry jumped when a rip suddenly moved and it began to sing.  
  
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
  
But don't judge on what you see,  
  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
  
A smarter hat than me.  
  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
  
And I can cap them all.  
  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
  
So try me on and I will tell you  
  
Where you ought to be.  
  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
  
Where they are just and loyal,  
  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
  
And unafraid of toil;  
  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
  
If you've a ready mind,  
  
Where those with wit and learning,  
  
Will always find their kind;  
  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
  
You'll make your real friends,  
  
Those cunning folk use and means  
  
To achieve their ends.  
  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
  
And don't get in a flap!  
  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!" As the school burst into applause, the stern faced professor unrolled a long parchment scroll and announced that when their name was called, they were to come forward to be sorted.  
  
"Abbot, Hannah!" she called.  
  
Stumbling out of the line, a girl with blond pigtails sat on the stool and let the hat drop down over her eyes.  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.  
  
As the first years continued to be called, Harry watched as each was greeted enthusiastically by their new house. Smiling as Hermione and Neville made it into the house of their choice, Harry watched in disgust as Draco Malfoy was called and he swaggered up to the stool. As Malfoy was placed instantly in Slytherin, Harry swallowed nervously. Not many were left. Finally, he was called.  
  
"Potter, Harry!"  
  
Walking up slowly, he sat down and dropped the hat down over his eyes.  
  
"Hm." a small voice whispered in his ear. "Difficult, very difficult. There is plenty of courage and talent -oh yes, there is an abundance of talent. You're smart; you will do well in your studies. Ambition, oh yes, there is sufficient ambition to get you anything that you wish. So, where do I put you?"  
  
'Please,' Harry thought, gripping the stool so hard he wouldn't have been surprised to feel it break in his grip, 'not Slytherin; anywhere but Slytherin!'  
  
"Not Slytherin, eh?" the hat replied. "Are you sure? You would do well in Slytherin. With Slytherin backing you, you could be great! No? Then it best be GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
As the word was shouted to the school, Harry felt his shoulders sag with relief. Climbing off the stool, he headed for the cheering table. Sitting down next to Neville and the five other first years, Harry cheered as Ron was placed in Gryffindor.  
  
When the food finally appeared, Harry quickly began to fill his plate. After eating his fill and listening to the Headmaster's speech, Harry tiredly followed a Prefect, climbed the staircase and promptly fell asleep on his large four poster bed, a large smile on his face.  
  
*****  
  
.Classes are interesting but also very difficult. They're not good enough to write about though; you'll have to read my parents letter to find out more about them if you wish. The only thing that happened to me was that I got my leg caught in a trick stair.  
  
I hope you're okay without me and are making new friends fast.  
  
Your Bestest Friend Ever,  
  
Harry  
  
*****  
  
September 10, 1991  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I am fine. Nothing much is going on here. We go to visit your parents a lot but it's just not any fun without you here. I miss you. Will you come back for Christmas?  
  
I may see you sometime up at the school. My parents want me to go to school starting next year and have been speaking to Dumbledore about it frequently. I know I won't be eleven until March but Daddy thinks that I'm some sort of genius and is insisting that I'm ready.  
  
Will you do me a favor? Look up Necromancy in the library and tell me what it says about the most recent one.  
  
Since nothing at all is happening around here, I'm going to go.  
  
Destiny the Great! - Ha ha!  
  
*****  
  
September 10, 1991  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
My name is Destiny Alexandria Black and I am nine years old. I've never had a diary so I'm not really sure what to - or how to - write in one. I'll just start with what I know. What better topic is there than the one that you know best?  
  
I am a Necromancer and I have been one for hundreds of years. Having the life expectancy of zilch, I learn faster and sooner than humans - and no, I'm not human. Daddy says I'm a genius; I know I'm not. I'm just trying to combine over 110 years of life into two decades.  
  
Am I whining? No, it's what I am and I'm dealing with it. I'm supposed to have memories of a past life - past lives to be exact - but for the moment they're nonexistent. Stanton says that they take time to develop; I say that I don't have much more time to be wasting.  
  
Which brings me to why I am bothering to keep a diary: I've asked my best friend Harry Potter to find out about Necromancers for me. In this diary I shall record my life and all about being a Necromancer - Why couldn't I be something that was a shorter word? -, so I won't have to have others search for how to be one in my next life. Plus I could really use someone to talk to.  
  
So, what do I know about Necromancers? Well, first.  
  
*****  
  
September 12, 1991  
  
Destiny,  
  
I'll look up Necromancy for you as soon as I can. Before I do though, tell me why you want to know. I'm not going to risk getting in that much trouble without an explanation.  
  
Harry  
  
*****  
  
September 14, 1991  
  
Harry,  
  
It's none of your business! Just be a good friend and look it up please!  
  
Dessy  
  
*****  
  
September 16, 1991  
  
Destiny,  
  
Either I get an answer or there won't be one for you.  
  
Harry  
  
*****  
  
September 20, 1991  
  
Harry,  
  
Fine, but don't expect a hug from me when you come home for Christmas!  
  
I'm a Necromancer and contrary to what you're going to read, we're not as bad as we're made out to be. If you want anymore info., look up my question!  
  
Destiny  
  
*****  
  
October 14, 1991  
  
Destiny,  
  
That is so cool! Can you really do all that the book says you can do? Wait, you haven't read the book, so never mind.  
  
I've included several pages of what I could find on the woman. Sorry it took so long. I had to break into the Restricted Section to find anything.  
  
Harry  
  
*****  
  
October 24, 1991  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
The text is long and boring but very informative. So far I know how long to expect to live, what I can do - or at least what I could do three hundred years ago - and what to expect when the world finds out what I am. None of it is pleasant. Mostly, I already knew all of this but one thing I didn't know is that my talent in Divination was passed on from my previous life.  
  
In the practical parts of Necromancy, I grow stronger everyday. By next summer I will no longer need instructing and will begin to take on my role as Queen of the Dark Creatures as soon as my memories return.  
  
*****  
  
December 26, 1991  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Christmas was a lonely affair. Harry decided to stay at Hogwarts with his new best friend Ron Weasley. There s also a girl named Hermione Granger that is his other best friend but she went home to be with her family for the holidays. From what I can tell they hated her at the beginning of the year. Draco, the boy from the bookstore, was picking on her and Harry came to her rescue after he called her a Mudblood. Personally, Draco just got a good rating in my book if he doesn't like Harry's new friends - I know I don't. Ever since the grand rescue, they've all been buddy-buddy and Harry has pretty much stopped writing unless I write him first.  
  
Unfortunately, I have other things to worry about, darker things. My parents didn't think I was listening, didn't know I was there, but I heard: Voldemort is winning. The ministry tries to put a good face on everything but how can you when there is nothing left that is good?  
  
I don't worry about the Ministry or Voldemort winning; I worry more for how my people will be treated, whoever wins.  
  
*****  
  
April 14, 1992  
  
Destiny,  
  
Happy Birthday! I know this is late but I forgot with all my homework.  
  
Have you talked with Dumbledore yet? Will you be coming to Hogwarts with me next year?  
  
Harry  
  
*****  
  
As May arrived cool and sunny, Destiny and her parents were soon on their way to Hogwarts to meet with Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school. After months of arguing with Sirius about placing Destiny in school early, Dumbledore finally asked to meet with them at the school.  
  
Skipping up the steps and into the building, Destiny looked around at her surroundings.  
  
"Isn't it magnificent?" her father asked, looking around fondly.  
  
"Um, yeah," she replied, all the while thinking, 'I've seen bigger and better.' Shaking the thought away, she frowned. Where had that come from?  
  
Following her father down the corridor and up a flight of stairs, she remained silent as they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmasters office. Knocking on the big wooden door at the top of the stairs behind the gargoyle, Sirius reached out and gripped his daughter's small hand.  
  
When Dumbledore opened the door for them to enter, Destiny looked around curiously at her surroundings. The room was circular with portraits of witches and wizards lining the walls, small and large knick knacks lying on tables and shelves, and books scattered about in organized chaos. Overall, the room gave off a homey feel, a feeling of well being.  
  
"Well now," Dumbledore exclaimed, clasping his hands together, eyes twinkling merrily, "is this our little genius?"  
  
"Yes, Sir," Sirius replied proudly, "This is my little girl."  
  
Smiling down at her, the old man asked, "Do you want to start school early?"  
  
Shrugging, Destiny continued to examine the room as she said, "I don't care."  
  
Frowning slightly, Dumbledore said to her father, "I thought you said she wanted to start early."  
  
"Destiny won't do anything unless you make her."  
  
Walking around to sit behind his desk, the Headmaster steepled his fingers and placed them under his chin. "This is most unusual. We have had many talented students come and go at Hogwarts, several geniuses in fact, but never has one wanted to begin early. Few have ever wanted to be advanced faster than their peers either."  
  
"I know," Sirius said, "but Destiny is ready. She can already do most first year charm work."  
  
Sighing, Dumbledore asked for when she would turn eleven.  
  
"March 31st," Destiny replied, never taking her eyes off of the molting bird on the perch in the corner.  
  
Clasping his hands together , the old man smiled widely. "That does it then! She may come! The cut off is December but I'm sure we can make a bit of an exception in this case." Turning to the little girl, he said enthusiastically, "Destiny Black, welcome to Hogwarts!"  
  
*****  
  
May 5, 1992  
  
Harry,  
  
Guess what! I'm going to Hogwarts with you next year! I really hope I'm sorted into Gryffindor with you. I really, really want to be able to hang out with you. You will hang out with me right? I know that I'll be in a younger year than you but that won't change anything, right?...  
  
*****  
  
June 14, 1992  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Harry will be returning from school tomorrow and I can't wait. I hope he still likes to play hide and seek. Maybe we can play Quidditch if my Mum will let me. Harry became the Gryffindor Seeker this year, the youngest Seeker in a century and I want to see if he's really as good as everyone is always going on about. I don't think he will be even if he did help Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup thing. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.  
  
*****  
  
As the Hogwarts Express came to a stop at Platform 9 ¾ and Harry stepped from the train, summer had finally arrived. 


	6. The Sorting

The Sorting  
  
Chapter 6  
  
As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, Destiny rose up on her toes to look for Harry in the rush of students that were exiting the train. Seeing her messy haired friend dragging his trunk onto the platform, Destiny squealed loudly and rushed toward him, throwing herself over his trunk and into his arms.  
  
"Harry, you're finally here!" she laughed happily.  
  
Smiling down at her, he replied, "Hi, Des."  
  
"Hey, Harry!" a voice called from behind him, "You're blocking the exit."  
  
"Sorry, Ron," Harry grinned, pulling his belongings and Destiny out of the way. Turning to his parents, he hugged them tightly before waving to his friends to come over. "Mum, Dad, this is Ron and Hermione. They're my best friends."  
  
Frowning, Destiny watched Harry say goodbye to his new friends before following the Potters through the brick wall and out into the Muggle world.  
  
*****  
  
"Harry!" Sirius yelled rushing forward to pick up his Godson in a bear hug as the Potters arrived home. "How are you? How was your first year?"  
  
Smiling happily, Harry returned the hug and began to talk excitedly about all that had happened in the last year. As the conversation continued through dinner, Destiny finally interrupted to say, "Harry, let's go play."  
  
Nodding, the two left the table and hurried to the stairs. Hearing footsteps behind them, Destiny glanced over her shoulder and scowled.  
  
"Go away, Rosaline!" she snapped.  
  
"I want to play too," the little girl replied, pouting.  
  
"Oh, let her come," Harry replied smiling.  
  
Glaring at her, Destiny turned around sharply and marched up the stairs.  
  
"What's with her?" Harry asked, leaning down to whisper the question in Rosaline's ear.  
  
Sneering up at her sisters retreating back, she replied lowly, "Destiny's a brat. She thinks the world revolves around her."  
  
Following her sister up the stairs, Harry just stood there for a few seconds before following.  
  
'That's not how I remember her,' he thought.  
  
*****  
  
As the hot summer days began to pass, Destiny and Harry fell into an easy routine. With Destiny rising early in the morning, she would quickly dress before running over to the Potters' for breakfast.  
  
Just like every morning, Destiny dashed out the door, across the lawn, and up the front steps to the Potters' front door. Knocking twice, she let herself in and headed for the kitchen. Steeping into the sun-filled room, she came to an abrupt halt. At the table sat two people she had last seen at platform 9 ¾.  
  
"Hello Destiny," James murmured, not bothering to look up from his paper at the breakfast table. When she didn't reply, he finally glanced up. "Are you planning to sit down or are you planning to become a permanent door fixture?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Heading for the only open seat, she lowered herself slowly, never taking her eyes from the guests.  
  
"Hi," the red haired boy said happily, "we're Harry's friends from school. You're Destiny, right?"  
  
Suppressing the sudden surge of jealousy she felt at the thought of Harry having other friends, she nodded.  
  
As the conversation picked up, Destiny sat quietly picking at her food.  
  
"So, Destiny," Hermione said, "Are you looking forward to starting school?"  
  
Sighing, she mumbled, "Yes."  
  
"What class do you think will be your favorite?"  
  
Shrugging, Destiny rose to her feet, mumbled something about having to go and quickly left.  
  
*****  
  
The summer passed quickly and soon the Blacks and Potters were walking through Diagon Alley searching for school supplies. Having finally gotten used to Harry's new friends, she trailed behind the chattering group and watched them interact silently.  
  
"Well," Sirius exclaimed, staggering under all of the Blacks' purchases, "that's all of it then."  
  
"Not quite," Julia replied, smiling down at her eldest daughter. "We still have to get Destiny a pet. How about it honey?"  
  
Nodding, she hurried in front of her parents to the building where she would buy her new pet. Pushing the door open, she glanced about the dark interior, taking in the glowing eyes and rustling feathers. Smiling, she walked over to a cage holding a beautiful brown owl and stuck her fingers through the bars to pet it.  
  
"Ow!" she yelped, drawing back her reddened fingers and sticking them into her mouth. "It bit me!"  
  
"That's why the sign says not to put your fingers in the cages," Harry muttered under his breath.  
  
Scowling, Destiny made her way over to look at the other animals. After several more minutes of searching, she finally came to an owl with mean yellow eyes and glossy black feathers. Watching the bird watch her, she finally turned to the waiting shop keeper and asked what kind of owl it was.  
  
"That, little lady, is an eagle owl."  
  
"I want it."  
  
"Oh, honey, you don't want that owl. That's a mean owl that's meant to be trained to hunt, not carry letters. A little girl like you needs a nice friendly owl," the shop keeper replied as if talking to an incompetent child.  
  
"No, I want this one."  
  
"Honey," Julia said, "I don't want to get you anything dangerous. Besides, it would take a lot of work to train this bird. Why don't you pick a different one?"  
  
"You said I could have any one I want. I want this one!"  
  
"Just let her have the bird," Sirius snapped, knowing full and well that his daughter would never pick another one.  
  
Nodding, the shop keeper took the caged owl and gave it to Julia.  
  
After paying, Destiny happily followed her parents' home and dragged her new pet to her room.  
  
"Hi," Destiny whispered in awe, "My name's Destiny. I'm going to call you Midnight, is that alright?"  
  
Receiving only a stare, Destiny slowly opened the cage and stepped back. Immediately the owl stepped out and flew up to perch on the top of the mirror on the dresser. After waiting several minutes for it to come back down, she shrugged and began getting ready for bed.  
  
*****  
  
Wide eyed, Destiny looked around at the surrounding chaos that covered the platform of 9 ¾. September 1st had finally arrived and with it, Destiny's first year at Hogwarts. Swallowing nervously, she followed Harry onto the train after a quick goodbye to her parents.  
  
Sitting down in the compartment next to Hermione, she silently watched as the three friends exchanged stories about their summers.  
  
".So then," Ron exclaimed, waving his arms about enthusiastically, "I went- "  
  
As the door to the compartment slid open, Ron broke off his story. Standing there was a boy around Harry's age, with blond hair that was plastered to his head and large grey eyes. Recognizing him, Destiny glanced at the other occupants to see their reactions. On each face was a look of utter disgust and hate.  
  
"Well," the boy drawled, "it seems you've gained another unfortunate member to your little club." Turning his piercing eyes on her, he smirked. "You do realize what hanging around this riff-raff will do to your reputation, don't you?"  
  
"Leave her alone!" Harry snarled, stepping in front of her.  
  
"Protecting your little girlfriend, Potter?"  
  
"Unless you want to become decoration for the corridor, leave," Harry growled, reaching for his wand.  
  
"Do you think I'm scared of you?" the blond whispered dangerously.  
  
"Grow up both of you," Destiny interrupted calmly.  
  
Feeling the train come to a halt, she rose and marched past before anyone could reply. Stepping off the train, Destiny walked into the chaos on the platform and headed for the booming voice calling to the first years. Once the first years had been gathered and settled into the boats, she glanced back for her friends and watched the retreating forms of the horseless carriages.  
  
Turning back around, she came face to face with a smiling girl with straight red hair and a face full of freckles.  
  
"Hi," the girl chirped, "I'm Ginny Weasley."  
  
"Destiny Black," she replied.  
  
"You're Harry's friend, right?"  
  
"Yes, I am. You related to Ron?"  
  
"Yup. What house do you want to go into?"  
  
"Does it really matter? The hat's going to put us wherever it wants to."  
  
"I guess." the girl's confused reply came, obviously having no idea how to they were going to be sorted.  
  
As Hogwarts came into view, a chorus of gasps came from the first years and Destiny smiled up at the castle that was to be her home for the next seven years.  
  
*****  
  
".Make yourselves presentable. The sorting will begin in several minutes."  
  
As Professor McGonagall walked out of the hall, the students began to buzz excitedly. Tuning them out, Destiny waited for the Transfiguration teacher to return. When she did and the students began to follow her into the Great Hall, Destiny swallowed convulsively.  
  
Standing in line with the other first years, Destiny glanced at the enchanted ceiling before returning her attention to where McGonagall was placing a three legged stool and a ratty old hat. As the hat burst into song, she began to shift nervously, eager to be sorted and be away from the prying eyes of the school.  
  
Finally, the song ended and McGonagall began calling names. Adams, Tia was the first student sorted and after a few seconds was placed in Gryffindor.  
  
Black, Destiny was called next and nervously she climbed onto the chair and let the hat fall over her eyes.  
  
"Hm, well now. Plenty of courage, I see. Very loyal and possessive. You're smart, yes; one day you may even be called brilliant. Oh my, and ambitious. You will go far in life if you use all of these qualities."  
  
'Where do I belong?' she thought to the hat.  
  
"That, child, is what you wish for most, isn't it? A place to belong to; a home where you won't be different. Where you wish to go though is not the place where you will ever truly belong.  
  
"Just put me where I can be myself,' she thought.  
  
"Then let it be SLYTHERIN!"  
  
A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I have had absolutely no free time and my life has been insane. I will try to have the next chapter out much sooner than this one- it will also be more interesting hopefully- but remember that I'm busy and my real life must come first. Nagging me with e-mails does help just so you know.  
  
Did you like the ending? Did you know this was coming? You may not like where this is going but I can promise you that it's going to become VERY exciting in a few chapters. 


	7. Dealing with the Consequences

Dealing with the Consequences  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Feeling her heart plummet, Destiny sat frozen to the stool in horror.  
  
'No,' she thought desperately.  
  
It wasn't so much that she had anything against the Slytherin house as that she knew her father and friends were going to freak out. Pulling the hat off of her head, she rose and, with her head held high, walked to the cheering table. As she walked past the Gryffindor table, she watched as Harry's face went from shocked to angry before turning away. Sitting in the first available seat, she stared down at the table top, completely motionless.  
  
"You look as if the world's coming to an end," the boy next to her drawled in a lazy voice.  
  
Raising her eyes, she found herself gazing into large pools of silver- gray.  
  
"No," Destiny replied, "the world doesn't end for one individual."  
  
"I suppose it doesn't." Holding out a graceful hand, he said, "Draco Malfoy, second year."  
  
Smiling, beginning to feel that maybe things wouldn't be so bad, she reached out and took the proffered hand. "Destiny Black, first year."  
  
"Slytherin," Harry remarked numbly. "I can't believe she's a Slytherin."  
  
"She seemed so nice," Hermione replied sadly, "even if she was a little quiet."  
  
"So much for being friends with her," Ron said.  
  
Confused, Hermione replied, "Harry can still be friends with her if he wants to."  
  
"We're Gryffindors!" Ron exclaimed, affronted. "We cannot be friends with Slytherins! Right, Harry?"  
  
Glancing from Destiny to his friends, he gave his reply.  
  
After Dumbledore gave his end of feast announcements, Destiny rose from the Slytherin table, still chatting away with Draco.  
  
"Quidditch is the greatest sport ever," Draco announced enthusiastically. "I'm hoping to make the team this year."  
  
"What position do you want to play?"  
  
"I want to be a chaser but only the seeker position is open." Shrugging, he gave her an easy smile. "I guess I'll just have to try out for seeker."  
  
"Good luck then."  
  
Walking through the doors, she stopped when she saw Harry and his friends standing by the stairs talking.  
  
"I'll be right back," she informed Draco. Walking over to the three, she smiled hesitantly. "Hi."  
  
When the three turned to face her, she stepped back at the expressions on their faces. From Harry's face came an expression she had never thought would be directed at her: disgust.  
  
"Um," she began, "I know you're angry, but the Sorting Hat-"  
  
"The hat knew where you belonged," Harry cut in. "Only one kind of person ever ends up in Slytherin."  
  
Shocked Destiny bit her lip and willed herself not to cry. Nodding slowly, she mumbled, "I see. Well then, I better be going."  
  
Turning away, she swallowed the lump rising in her throat, raised her head proudly and walked back to where Draco was leaning against the wall.  
  
"You alright?" Draco asked, never allowing the sneer to drop as he watched the Gryffindor's glare back at him.  
  
"I'm fine. They're not worth being upset over." Following a group of older Slytherin's who were heading to the common room, she never looked back.  
  
Three weeks into the school year, Destiny sat on one of the big black leather couches in the common room reading the letters she had received from her parents and the Potter's.  
  
Destiny,  
  
Congratulations on making Slytherin. Enjoy the term. We'll see you this Christmas. Ignore your father; he'll come around.  
  
Love,  
  
Lily and James  
  
The Potter's had been great about her making it into the enemy house and had written several times to assure her that they didn't mind and to apologize for their son's behavior. Her parents though had not taken it so well. Being a Gryffindor through and through, Sirius had written a very angry letter about disgracing the family. In return, Destiny had written a letter home saying that he was the disgrace for even caring about which house she was in. He hadn't written since. Julia on the other hand had written a falsely cheery letter, not even bothering to mention her fight with her father.  
  
Even with having such a rocky start and having a great deal of people angry with her, Destiny found that she loved being a Slytherin.  
  
Slytherins, known for being cruel and hostile, were actually regular, decent people once you got to know them. Their ambition was what distanced them from others and only close friends really knew each other well. Close friends were few and far between though and so far the only true ones Destiny had made were Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zambini.  
  
Blaise, though a year ahead of her in school, was great fun to be around. Completely conceited, she had no tact what-so-ever and would say anything that came to mind. Already she was considered the beauty of Slytherin- not that there was any real competition considering that many of them were just plain ugly.  
  
Being the house of purebloods, many of the students came from rich, stuffy families and it was a great entertainment for Destiny to hear about what other Wizarding families did and believed. Her own family was all about getting along with everyone but, Draco's family for instance, was about the rich purebloods being in charge and everyone else being lower than them.  
  
Folding the letters up and shoving them into her bag, Destiny rose to her feet and left the common room to go for a walk. Reaching the Entrance Hall, she opted to explore the castle instead of out doors and headed for the staircase. After fifteen minutes of walking, she was completely lost.  
  
"Great," she mumbled, turning around to try and retrace her steps.  
  
Ten minutes later she sighed in defeat. Glancing around to make sure she was alone, she closed her eyes and gave a mental cry for help.  
  
"Problems?" a kind voice asked.  
  
"A few," she murmured, opening her eyes and smiling. "I seem to be slightly lost."  
  
Laughing, Katherine motioned for her to follow. "You really shouldn't be wondering about alone."  
  
"I can take care of myself," Destiny replied defiantly.  
  
"Are you talking to yourself?" a voice suddenly asked from an open painting.  
  
Jumping slightly, she turned to see Ron and Harry standing just inside the painting that obviously led into the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Not receiving a reply, Ron continued. "Why are you here? Slytherins aren't supposed to be around here."  
  
Frowning at his rudeness, she replied coolly, "I'm got lost."  
  
"You got lost and just happened to end up in front of the entrance to Gryffindor tower?"  
  
"Yes," she replied simply.  
  
"You're lying," Ron snapped.  
  
"Ron," Harry replied, placing a hand on his shoulder, "leave her alone." Turning back to his childhood friend, she said firmly, "I think you should go."  
  
Nodding curtly, Destiny spun around and followed Katherine down the corridor and around the corner before leaning back against the wall.  
  
"So much for forever friendship."  
  
The weeks passed quickly and fall soon became winter. In the Slytherin common room, Draco sat doing his potions homework when Destiny came in. With her hands behind her back, she came up and shoved snow down the back of his shirt. At his yelp of surprise, she laughed and danced back away from him.  
  
"You brat!" he yelled, trying desperately to shake the snow out.  
  
"Come outside with me!"  
  
"I have to study."  
  
"But Draco," she whined, "I leave for home in two days and this is the last chance we'll have to play!"  
  
"I don't play," he replied stiffly.  
  
"Oh, sure you do! I'll prove it to you when we get outside."  
  
"I'm not going outside."  
  
"Oh yes you are," she replied, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to his feet causing his books to tumble to the floor. "You're to pale."  
  
"Destiny-"  
  
"Please?" she begged.  
  
"Later," he relented.  
  
"Well, I'm going out now."  
  
Turning around, she ran out the entrance of the common room pulling on her gloves.  
  
An hour later, Draco finally sat aside his books and went outside to find Destiny. After wondering about for several minutes, he saw her throwing snowballs at a group of Gryffindors. Not far away the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were making their own snow forts to join the fight. Amused at Destiny's attempt to fight so many others on her own, he ran over to the snow wall she was behind, dodging flying snow all the way. Ducking down beside her, he grinned at her and began to pack snow together.  
  
"I though you didn't play," she remarked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, well, you looked kind of pathetic by yourself so I decided to have mercy on you."  
  
"Pathetic!" she shrieked, grabbing a handful of snow. "I'll show you pathetic!" Laughing, she tackled him and begun to try and force him to eat the snow.  
  
As the train pulled away from the station, Harry watched as Hogwarts shrank in the distance. Turning back to his friends, he grinned.  
  
"What are you two going to do for Christmas?"  
  
"My parents and I," Hermione replied, "are going to France."  
  
"We're just staying home," Ron remarked. "Bill and Charlie are going to be there. What about you?"  
  
Frowning, Harry began slowly, "My family always spends Christmas with the Blacks and Remus, so I'll be at my Godparents house most of the time."  
  
Wrinkling her nose, Hermione asked, "So you have to spend the whole break with a Slytherin?"  
  
"Yeah," he replied quietly.  
  
Arriving at Platform 9 ¾, Destiny dragged her book bag stuffed with everything that would fit off the train. Glancing about for her parents, she reluctantly headed to where they were standing with the Potters.  
  
"Destiny!" her mother called, rushing forward to wrap her arms around her daughter. Relieved that her mother wasn't angry about her sorting, she hugged her back tightly. Stepping back, she smiled at her father. Giving her a stiff smile, he hugged her and stepped away. Frowning at his sudden lack of affection, she turned to the Potters.  
  
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Potter!"  
  
"Hello Destiny," Lily replied, hugging the small child. "Congratulations on being sorted into Slytherin."  
  
"Thanks, I..."  
  
Trailing off, she watched silently as Harry approached.  
  
"Harry!" Lily cried, rushing forward to hug her son.  
  
Hugging her back, Harry glanced at Destiny, causing hope to flicker within her, before dying out as he turned his back on her. In that instant, Destiny felt what little hope remained dwindle and die.  
  
The holidays were horrible. Having his parents be best friends with the Blacks meant that not only were they constantly over, but so were their children. At first Harry felt bad for ignoring his childhood friend just because she was in a different house, but quickly stopped worrying as he worked to avoid her. Every time he was in the same room as her, she would watch him with unblinking eyes, her face completely expressionless. By the time that the day came to return to Hogwarts, Harry was more than happy to board the train.  
  
"Now," Lily said, smoothing Harry's hair, "you make sure to keep an eye on Destiny, all right? No more of this silliness because she's in a different house, am I understood?"  
  
"Yeah, Mom, sure."  
  
Nodding, she hugged Destiny and pushed them both towards the train. Once upon it, Destiny turned and, without a word, walked away in the opposite direction of him.  
  
As the year passed, Harry gradually saw less and less of Destiny until only at meal time could he catch a glimpse of her. As the end of the year exams finally arrived, Harry hurried to the library, determined to study between each test.  
  
Entering the library, Harry looked from crowded table to crowded table trying to find an empty seat. Spotting one, he walked over and sat down. Glancing around to see who else was sharing the table, he groaned. Sitting across from him was Draco Malfoy.  
  
Scowling at him over a stack of books, Draco drawled, "What do you want?"  
  
"Well, it's a library." Harry rolled his eyes. "Go figure why I brought books to study."  
  
Giving him a nasty look, Draco turned back to his books.  
  
Deciding to ignore him, Harry opened his notes and began to review. Several minutes later, another student flopped into a chair across the table from him and began to whisper excitedly to the blond Slytherin.  
  
Annoyed, Harry snapped, "Do you mind? I'm trying to study," before glancing up.  
  
Sitting across from him was none other than Destiny Black.  
  
Giving him an appraising look, she forced out a smile. "How are you, Harry?"  
  
Frowning at her, he gave a clipped, "Fine."  
  
Biting her lip, she tried again. "Are you looking forward to summer?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh. Um, do you know if our families will be going on any vacations together?"  
  
Giving a shrug, he didn't reply.  
  
"I don't think we'll be going anywhere," she rambled. "With Voldemort stepping up his attacks, it probably isn't safe. Our families will probably hang out a lot though."  
  
"Doesn't mean that we're going to be hanging out with each other."  
  
Flushing, she lowered her head. "Oh, right. Well then... I, I better go. You know exams to take and all."  
  
Grabbing her bag, she practically ran for the door.  
  
Draco, having sat silently through the exchange, now sat staring with an unreadable expression.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Harry snapped.  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Draco ignored him.  
  
"If you've got something to say, Malfoy, then just say it."  
  
Looking up from where he had been stuffing his things in his bag, he gave him a steady stare. "You don't deserve her."  
  
"Deserve her? I don't want her!"  
  
"Destiny is the best friend you'll ever find and you're throwing it away on a stupid house rivalry."  
  
Folding his arms, Harry replied stubbornly, "I know what kind of person goes into Slytherin and I want nothing to do with them."  
  
Picking up the bag, Draco put it on his back before speaking. "You're going to regret this decision one day and then you're going to hate yourself."  
  
Turning, Draco walked away without another word. Mystified, Harry just watched him go.  
  
Walking out of the stacks with an armful of books, Hermione looked in the direction that Draco had just gone.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
Shaking his head, Harry said with amazement, "For a moment there, Malfoy almost seemed like a human that cared." 


	8. Growing to Lead

Growing to Lead  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Sitting in her room, flipping through a magazine, Destiny glanced up when she heard the creak of her door opening.  
  
A month had passed since the end of school and Destiny had quickly fallen back into her habit of secluding herself from the living and spent a great deal of time in the nearby cemetery. Neither Constance nor Stanton had been seen since the last summer and Destiny had quickly lost all need for them. Since the beginning of summer Harry and Destiny had both gone to great lengths to avoid each other. With Harry, he would spend the day outdoors if the Black's were around and Destiny would stay indoors.  
  
Watching as her mother stuck her head through the doorway, she waited patiently for her to speak.  
  
"Honey, Harry's here. Don't you want to go play?"  
  
Shrugging, she kept her eyes on the magazine. Sighing, Julia came in and sat beside her.  
  
"Baby, I know it was a hard year but I think without anyone around, you two can patch up your friendship."  
  
"He started it."  
  
"And now you can be the mature one and finish it. So, go downstairs and talk to him. If you have something to say, tell him and move on from this."  
  
Nodding thoughtfully, she rose to her feet and walked to where Harry sat in the living room. Alone, as they had not been in a year, awkward silence descended upon them. Sitting across from him, she waited. When he made no move to speak, she began.  
  
"Why does it matter so much to you that I'm not a Gryffindor?"  
  
"Who said it had anything to do with you not being a Gryffindor?"  
  
"You hate me because of the Slytherin house."  
  
Raising his head, from his Quidditch book, he gave her a blank stare.  
  
"Why did you have to choose Slytherin of all houses?"  
  
"I didn't," she snapped. "I was ambitious, that's why I'm their. My ambition outweighed any bravery I had."  
  
"You know, I wouldn't have cared so much if you hadn't buddied up to Malfoy."  
  
"Who else was I supposed to hang out with? You? You wouldn't even talk to me!"  
  
"But anyone's better than Malfoy!"  
  
"How would you know? You don't know him at all!"  
  
"I know that he's going to be a Death Eater just like his father!"  
  
"Nothing is certain until the mark has been burned and even then they can become good again."  
  
"No, Death Eaters are evil!"  
  
"But Draco isn't!" Destiny exclaimed.  
  
"Good people don't come from those kinds of families. They never have and never will!"  
  
Complete silence fell upon them as Destiny stared at him in complete disbelief. Leaning forward, she annunciated every word.  
  
"Draco Malfoy is my second cousin. His mother's maiden name is Black. My entire family has been Dark Arts practitioners for centuries until my father dared to refuse to be part of it. You say that good people can't come from dark families so you must believe that Sirius Black is evil too. Am I right?"  
  
Opening and closing his mouth in shock, his mind finally registered the question.  
  
"Sirius is not evil!"  
  
"So you admit that just because a family is a certain way, it doesn't mean the kids will be too?"  
  
"Malfoy is just like his father," Harry replied stubbornly.  
  
Staring coldly at him, Destiny hissed, "You are such a hypocrite."  
  
Turning on her heel, she left without another word.  
  
*****  
  
Summer passed with frosty silence between the two and when school started back up, they where more than happy to avoid each other.  
  
After being back at Hogwarts for over a month, Harry and Ron were entering the Gryffindor tower when they noticed an announcement posted on the wall.  
  
"A dueling club!" Ron exclaimed. "We should join it."  
  
Nodding excitedly, Harry hurriedly signed them up. Two weeks later the three arrived early to what appeared to be half the school. The Dueling Club was to be run by Professors Snape and Flitwick, and while waiting, the three waved to various friends of theirs.  
  
"This is going to be so exciting," Hermione squealed. "Dueling is a major part of the Wizarding culture." Trailing off as the professors entered, she stood straighter, giddy with anticipation.  
  
Explaining how a duel worked and how one was to bow to their opponent, the two teachers squared off and shot one simple curse at each other, each side- stepping easily. Soon after, they were asked to pair up. Choosing Ron, Harry watched as Hermione quickly chose Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff in their year, as her partner. Facing each other as instructed, they each shot their hex. Dancing about until the spell was removed, Harry turned back to the stage grinning widely.  
  
Deciding another demonstration was needed, two students near the stage were called to the front: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.  
  
Scowling at each other, they faced off and shot their hexes. Dodging a particularly nasty curse, Harry yelled the first disarming spell that came to mind.  
  
"Expelliarmus!"  
  
Watching as Draco was lifted clear off his feet by the strength of the spell, he stood helplessly as the blond flipped backwards, landing with a sickening crunch. Silence descended before loud murmuring arose from the crowd.  
  
Stunned, Harry didn't even see the flash of light that hit him from behind, knocking him unconscious.  
  
Becoming aware of the second boy passing out, Snape rose to his feet and looked around in anger.  
  
"Who did this?" he growled. Not receiving a reply, he shouted, "If I find out who was coward enough to curse a man from behind, I will make sure you are expelled!"  
  
As silence rang through the room, Destiny concealed her satisfaction and pasted on a confused expression, all the while pushing down the boiling anger growing inside of her.  
  
*****  
  
As spring approached and summer finally arrived, Destiny found herself sitting across from Katherine arguing.  
  
"Why won't you move on?" Destiny asked again for the tenth time, beginning to feel exasperated.  
  
"I just can't!" the ghost wailed.  
  
"WHY?"  
  
"Because Remus is miserable!  
  
"I'm sure he's not," she responded reasonably.  
  
"He is and I can't move on until he's happy or at least able to move on from me."  
  
Shrugging, Destiny replied, "So, we'll find him a girlfriend."  
  
*****  
  
"What about a Muggle?" Destiny asked.  
  
"Yes, because Muggles respond so well to magic, I'm sure they'd welcome a werewolf with open arms," Katherine replied sarcastically.  
  
"Okay, then who do you know that's good for him, Smart-aleck?"  
  
Frowning down at her, Katherine said, "You sound like you mother."  
  
Choking on the Skittle she was eating, she gave the ghost a disgusted glare. "Funny, really."  
  
Shrugging, Katherine returned to the matter at hand.  
  
"What about another werewolf?"  
  
"Do you know another werewolf?" Destiny asked curiously.  
  
"Um. no."  
  
"Well then," Destiny replied, happily munching on her candy, "we'll just have to find one."  
  
*****  
  
By midsummer Katherine finally found a woman that met her standards for her living husband.  
  
"She's a bit different," Katherine exclaimed excitedly, following Destiny into the bathroom and continuing to talk as the girl brushed her teeth. "She's a shape shifter that was raised in a mountain town that was made up entirely of other changers. I think she could really help him learn to accept himself."  
  
Pulling the toothbrush out of her mouth, she asked around the foamy toothpaste, "So how do we get them to meet?"  
  
Grinning, Katherine replied, "She's in town visiting Diagon Alley to pick up supplies for her people. Just make sure Remus is there tomorrow and we'll arrange a meeting."  
  
After much nagging, Destiny finally managed to get Remus to agree to be the one to take her to get her school supplies. Smiling happily, she skipped along behind him looking around for the mysterious woman. After having visited Flourish and Blotts, Katherine pointed to a woman eating ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Yanking on the werewolves' sleeve, she pointed to the ice cream parlor.  
  
"Please?" she begged.  
  
Agreeing, he went in to buy her a cone while she was to get a table and watch their purchases. Sitting beside the woman's table, she gave her most charming smile.  
  
"Hi, I'm Destiny and I'm twelve."  
  
Glancing over at her, the woman smiled, amused. "Dakota Lupe."  
  
"I'm here with my Uncle Remus. He's not my real uncle but he's always around."  
  
"Really."  
  
"Yup, and he's really cute too. You should go talk to him."  
  
"Nice Des," Katherine said, rolling her eyes.  
  
Laughing, Dakota said, "You're so cute."  
  
"Thank you." Spotting Remus, she waved him over. "Remus, this is Dakota." Hopping to her feet, she said, "I have to pee. I'll be back."  
  
Running around the corner of the building, she peeked her head around to watch.  
  
"Katherine, go listen in and tell me what's happening."  
  
Grinning, the ghost floated over and hovered by their side.  
  
*****  
  
"Interesting girl," Dakota murmured, watching the child skip off.  
  
"That she is. Almost as strange as her father."  
  
"She's a special little girl."  
  
Giving the woman a searching glance, he asked her to sit with him.  
  
"I'm curious to know why you would think she's different from any other child."  
  
Gazing at him thoughtfully, she stated, "You're a made one."  
  
"A made what?"  
  
"Werewolf. You carry your gift as a burden; I can see it in your eyes."  
  
Standing up swiftly, Remus snarled, "Who are you?"  
  
Cocking her head to the side, she stirred her melted ice cream with her spoon. "A friend."  
  
"I don't want your friendship."  
  
"You should never turn down the offer of friendship. One day I guarantee you'll regret it."  
  
"Who are you?" Remus repeated.  
  
"No one." Rising to her feet, she grinned suddenly. "If you're ever lonely, give me a call." Stepping forward, she pulled out a self-inking quill and wrote her floo name on his hand. "Maybe we can talk about why you hate yourself so much." Turning away, she glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Your little friend is right though; you are cute."  
  
Stunned, Remus watched in silence as the woman walked away, swinging a shopping bag.  
  
*****  
  
Smiling as the brunette woman strolled away, Katherine sighed in relief as total peace filled her for the first time since she had died over a decade ago. Giving into the tranquility, she allowed herself for the first time to believe that Remus had a chance to be happy once again.  
  
*****  
  
Watching the two Dark Creatures converse, Destiny's eyes were suddenly drawn to the now glowing ghost. As Katherine's form shimmered and vanished into the white light, she whispered goodbye and watched as her friend found her way to Heaven, no longer lost for eternity.  
  
*****  
  
Halfway through August, as the Blacks were enjoying the end of summer, Sirius got an owl. Sitting at the breakfast table with his wife and two children, he was attempting to stop the girls from kicking each other when the letter arrived.  
  
Giving up, he took the parchment and watched the owl sail away without waiting for a reply. Turning it over, he glanced at the official Ministry seal before tearing it open. Reading the contents, he cleared his throat and motioned for Julia to follow him. Before leaving, he turned to his daughters and snapped, "Stop it or you're both going to be scrubbing this kitchen on your hands and knees."  
  
Freezing, the girls watched wide eyed as he stomped into the living room and shut the door. Leaning against it, he moved to face his wife.  
  
"Sirius, what happened?" Julia asked, fear creeping into her voice.  
  
"Nothing bad," he hurried to assure her. "It's just an order I don't want to comply with."  
  
"You threatened the girls. Honey, you never raise your voice to them unless they're trying to kill each other or have set something on fire."  
  
Not replying, he handed her the letter. Frowning sadly, she whispered, "Oh Sirius, the girls are going to be heartbroken."  
  
*****  
  
Pressing her ear to the bottom of the door, Destiny listened carefully to her parents of the other side.  
  
"Move!" Rosaline hissed shoving her sister in an attempt to move her.  
  
"Shut up, you brat!"  
  
"Your big butt is in the way!"  
  
Glaring at her, Destiny put her ear to the floor just as the door opened. Yelping, Sirius tripped over his daughter and went sprawling into the carpet.  
  
"Destiny, Rosaline, what are you two doing there?" Julia asked, hands on her hips.  
  
"Spying?" Rosaline smiled.  
  
"Couldn't you have found a less dangerous way to do it?" Sirius groaned.  
  
"It wasn't dangerous," Destiny snapped, "until you fell on me!"  
  
Stifling a laugh, Julia motioned everyone into the room. Sitting down, she waited for her husband to pick himself up off the floor and tell them what was going on.  
  
"Girls," he began, rubbing his elbow, "I just received my new assignment from the Ministry and we're going to be moving soon."  
  
"Moving?" Destiny asked. "But won't Voldemort get us?"  
  
Wincing at the use of his name, Julia replied, "Of course not! It's been years since You-Know-Who has shone any interest in any of the people who live in this neighborhood."  
  
"Where are we going then?" Rosaline asked.  
  
"London." Julia replied smiling.  
  
"We're going to live in the city?" Destiny squealed. "That is so neat!" Looking relieve Julia sighed. "When do we leave?"  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
*****  
  
The next day chaos reigned as the Blacks, the Potters and Remus Lupin ran about trying to shrink and pack all of the belongings before apparating them to the new house that had been arranged for them to live in.  
  
Tossing a pile of newly shrunk clothes into her trunk, Destiny smiled happily. This was her chance; she could get away from the constant bickering with Harry and finally have some peace.  
  
Hearing a knock on the door, she called for them to come in. Seeing Harry standing in the doorway, she frowned. Shifting awkwardly, he motioned to her trunk.  
  
"My mom said I should help you carry that down. It's time to go."  
  
Nodding, she grabbed the end of the trunk and pulled it down the stairs as Harry pushed from behind. Reaching the bottom, Destiny muttered a goodbye before running off to say her farewells to the others.  
  
*****  
  
Settling quickly into the new home, it was soon time to return to Hogwarts for her third year. With Rosaline starting school this year, Destiny was forced to endure her sister tagging along behind her as she made her way to the Slytherin compartment that her friends were sitting in. Stopping outside the door, she looked up at her sister who was a good inch taller than her.  
  
"Hey Roz, why don't you find some first years and get a head start on making friends?"  
  
Nodding, the younger girl hurried off. Going into the compartment, she flopped down next to Blaise and grinned at the Slytherins.  
  
*****  
  
By the end of the week, Destiny had fallen back into her routine of trying to attract Harry's attention only to be snubbed and hurt. After a particularly explosive incident, Destiny stormed into the nearly empty common room and sat forcefully in an arm chair across from where Draco was studying.  
  
"What happened this time?" Draco asked annoyed at what was the third encounter in two days.  
  
"Harry, he's- he's so- uh!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "He thinks he's so much better than me-"  
  
"He might as well be."  
  
Sitting up straighter, she narrowed her eyes indignantly. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Look," leaning forward, Draco looked her in the eye, "I have had enough of this. This attempting to be his friend when he obviously doesn't want you is beyond pathetic. Let it go! You were friends once but it's over. Get on with your life! The way you keep following him around is embarrassing and degrading to yourself."  
  
"Sorry," she replied stiffly, "It's a habit."  
  
"Then break it. And another thing, I don't know what is wrong with you lately but this whole being angry at the world for God-knows-what has to stop."  
  
"I am not angry at the world, "she protested.  
  
"Yes," he replied, "you are. I know what you are." Lowering his voice, he continued. "I know you're not human but nobody has ever treated you badly because of it."  
  
"But my people have been."  
  
"Then do something about it. Stop being bitter at the world and boo-hooing about it. Make a plan and execute it." Grabbing her hand, he said, "Des, you were born to be a fantastic leader but you can't lead in silence."  
  
"Make a plan."  
  
Nodding, he finished, "Then execute it. What are you going to do?"  
  
Glancing up from where she had been staring unseeingly at her hands, she replied, "I'm going to be the leader I was born to be." 


	9. Marking the Equal

Marking the Equal  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Two Years Later  
  
Staring straight ahead in an attempt to ignore the two men at her sides, Destiny waited patiently for the invitation to enter through the large doors across the hall from her. When they finally opened and a bald little man stuck his head out and nodded at them, she rose from the bench on which she sat and glided gracefully into the room.  
  
The last two years had been kind to Destiny physically if not mentally. Having finally had a growth spurt, she was now 5'2" and no longer considered comically short. She had taken Blaise's place as the beauty of Slytherin and, along with Draco Malfoy, was considered the royalty of the house. Mentally, the years had been cruel as she had watched the relations between magical creatures and humans deteriorate. With her heavy burden, she found herself unable to keep together her home life and had become withdrawn to the point that her family barely even noticed she was there.  
  
Entering the room with her head held high, she moved to the center and gave a small curtsey to inform the inhabitants that while she respected their leader, she was not his inferior. Rising up, she looked straight into the eyes of a snake in the head of a man.  
  
"So, you are Destiny Black?" the pale man asked.  
  
"I am, Sir."  
  
"I hear you have come to me with a proposition."  
  
"No, I came to hear what you had for me. I was merely feeling generous when I decided to come to you instead of the other way around."  
  
Leaning forward, he gripped the edges of his chair and hissed, "You insolent brat-,"  
  
"Hear me out, Sir. I am currently negotiating with not only you but with the Light as well. My only care is that when this war is over, I am on the winning side and that that side will grant all magical creatures freedoms they deserve. With this guarantee, we will join that side and victory will become inevitable."  
  
"Why should I agree to give mutants rights? You must give something in return."  
  
"I will be giving you victory," Destiny repeated.  
  
"There are still ways to lose. Never become so over confidant as to believe that you are invincible."  
  
Tilting her head thoughtfully, she murmured, "What if I knew the key to victory- absolute unstoppable victory if you were to kill one person."  
  
Leaning forward, Voldemort replied, "I'm listening."  
  
Smiling, Destiny continued, "There is a prophesy; a prophesy that tells how to defeat you, just as it tells how you could win."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"It says that neither you nor the other can survive while the other lives. Meaning one of you two will have to die for this war to end."  
  
"And who is this other?"  
  
"The one you shall mark as your equal."  
  
----------  
  
Hurrying up the lawn of Hogwarts, Destiny paused at the Quidditch fields where practice was ending. Sitting by a tree, she waited for Draco to exit the showers.  
  
"Hey," she greeted with a smile.  
  
"How did it go?" Draco replied.  
  
"By the end of the year, negotiations will be completed one way or another."  
  
Nodding, he changed the topic.  
  
"I made Potter's girlfriend cry while you were gone."  
  
Sneering, she replied, "Like it's so hard. Ginny Weasley's a wuss."  
  
"You would think that even low life scum like Potter would be able to do better."  
  
"You would think so. Changing the subject now; Potter and Weasley make me queasy. Anyway, Remus is getting married this summer and you're invited."  
  
"Do I have to come?"  
  
"Draco! You can't leave me by myself! It's going to be awful! It'll be like a Gryffindork convention!"  
  
"Yes, that really makes me want to go." Glaring at her, he finally sighed. "Fine."  
  
Entering the Entrance Hall, they came to an abrupt halt as their way was blocked be a group of Gryffindors.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the scum of Hogwarts," Rosaline Black smirked.  
  
Giving her sister a look of disgust, Destiny attempted to pass without comment.  
  
"What's the matter snake? Too cowardly to speak?"  
  
As the others around them laughed, Destiny stepped forward and murmured so that only her sister could hear.  
  
"Remember little girl, bravery has gotten many killed but the cunning always survived much longer."  
  
"At least I'll die a hero," Rosaline shrieked, "and not an embarrassment to the family!"  
  
Eyeing her disdainfully, Destiny replied, "I'd rather be a disgrace for eternity than you for a minute."  
  
Face twisting with hatred, Rosaline raised her fists to punch the older girl when a voice behind them demanded to know what was going on.  
  
"Nothing Granger," Destiny replied, giving Harry and Ginny's interlocked hands a disgusted look. "We were just having a family chat."  
  
"She was threatening me!"  
  
"No, I was insulting you. There is a rather large difference. If I was threatening you, you would be on the floor in tears."  
  
Glancing at the assembled crowd, she swept away before anyone could think on a come-back, Draco laughing loudly behind her.  
  
----------  
  
As time passed in seemingly great sweeps, the school year ended and the children of Hogwarts once again returned to their homes. As always, it was a bit of a shock to return as the castle kept every threat and fear at bay. Back in the real world in which their parents lived, fear was a daily part of life, as was death.  
  
On the day of their return, the Muggle Underground was attacked and hundreds of Muggles died as the tunnels collapsed.  
  
Watching her father rush out of the house, Destiny fought back sadness as the thought arose that she may one day help destroy everything her father loved and was working to save.  
  
----------  
  
As the day of the wedding arrived, chaos reigned. Moving through the crowd in her frilly dress, she paused at the sound of angry voices coming from outside. Moving towards them, she stood in the entrance of the front door and watched as Remus Lupin yelled angrily at a pair of Ministry workers.  
  
"...This is my wedding day! How dare you come in here and try to ruin it!"  
  
"You know that under the restriction of Magical Creatures, Part C, Section fifteen, clause two-thirty-three, it states that there shall be no large gatherings of Creatures of Darkness."  
  
"But neither my bride nor I are human and therefore neither are our friends!"  
  
"I'm aware of that," the bald ministry member replied, moping sweat off his shiny head, "but we can't risk you trying to overthrow the government."  
  
"We're not trying to!" Remus shouted. "We just want to get married."  
  
"Look," the other wizard snapped, "Break this up peacefully or we will do it by force."  
  
"This isn't right!" James snapped. "You cannot treat people like this!"  
  
"Well Mr. Potter, it's a good thing then that these aren't people."  
  
Gritting her teeth, Destiny went to inform the guests that they had to leave.  
  
----------  
  
Not long after the disastrous wedding, the Ministry informed the public that all Dark Creatures were under suspicion on working with Voldemort and were to be treated with extreme caution. Immediately afterward, Remus lost his job and was soon forced out of his home.  
  
Sitting in the Potters' kitchen, Remus slumped against the table while Dakota rubbed his back.  
  
"How can they do this?" Julia mumbled horrified.  
  
"They're human, that gives them the right to do anything," Remus replied bitterly.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Dakota smiled, patting her husband's leg reassuringly. "I mean, it can't get any worse, right?"  
  
----------  
  
When September 1st arrived, Destiny couldn't have been more thrilled. Throwing herself into a seat across from Draco, she sighed.  
  
"Rough summer?" Draco drawled, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You have no idea," she muttered, running a hand through her curly hair.  
  
Rosaline had taken every chance she could to get Destiny in trouble and her parents always took the younger child's side in the fight.  
  
"She gives me the creeps," Draco admitted. "There's just something about her that's just... wrong."  
  
Feeling a wave of déjà vu sweep over her, she shuddered.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Rubbing her head and giving it a shake to dislodge the sudden pictures that filled her head, she smiled at Draco.  
  
"Something is too the matter. Tell me."  
  
Deciding to confide in the boy, she leaned forward and motioned for him to do the same.  
  
"Sometimes I see things..." she began.  
  
"Everyone sees things."  
  
"No, what I see hasn't happened yet."  
  
Sucking in a deep breath, he whispered, "Are you a Seer?"  
  
Waving her hands about in frustration, she exclaimed, "I don't know!" Lowering her voice, she continued. "I mean, what I see makes no sense and Seers are supposed to understand what they see, right?"  
  
Silence descended on the compartment before Draco asked, "Are these visions really that random or do you just not want to understand them?"  
  
"Are you suggesting that I'm trying to be stupid?"  
  
"Nobody was implying that you're stupid. What I mean is, do these visions come out of nowhere or are they maybe related to what's happening around you?"  
  
Destiny shrugged helplessly.  
  
"What was happening when you had the vision just now?"  
  
"You were talking about Rosaline."  
  
"I said she was creepy. So, what was the vision about?"  
  
Opening her mouth to speak, she gasped.  
  
"What? What was it you saw?" Draco demanded.  
  
"That's just it; I saw nothing but darkness. That's why it made no sense. But then I remembered what I could feel around me."  
  
"You can feel what's going to happen?"  
  
"Only if it's my future."  
  
"And you felt what exactly?"  
  
"Fear, blood, pain..." Swallowing convulsively, Destiny murmured, "Rosaline's going to hurt me- badly."  
  
----------  
  
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was a blur. Arriving in the Great Hall, Destiny ate mechanically, and hurried off to her dorm. Having left before anyone else, she sat on her bed with her head in her hands.  
  
"Why do you fret, child?"  
  
Shrieking, Destiny fell off her bed.  
  
"Constance?" she gasped. "How did you get in here?"  
  
"Through the door, just like you."  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"You needed a friend that will listen and understand and I'm not busy."  
  
Nodding, Destiny sank back onto the bed.  
  
"I'm not strong enough to do what must be done. My vision this afternoon proved that. I'm going to lose to a mere mortal."  
  
"You will be fine." Reaching out, Constance smoothed down her ringlets. "You will see. You are as strong as you need to be."  
  
"No," Destiny replied, "I'm not. I'm just a scared girl who wants to be safe."  
  
"We don't all have the luxury of being able to be safe. Now swallow your fear and move on."  
  
----------  
  
You must prove yourself," Voldemort hissed. "Show me your powers."  
  
"Sir, there must be a body and a reason to bring them back. If their time is truly over, I can do nothing to help them. I can show you nothing."  
  
Smiling cruelly, Voldemort replied, "Very well then."  
  
----------  
  
Halloween soon arrived and with it the smiles of the students of Hogwarts. Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Harry smiled at the floating pumpkins and the ghosts.  
  
"I love Halloween," Ginny smiled, leaning her head on Harry's shoulder.  
  
Leaning over to kiss her, he was interrupted by the large doors to the Entrance Hall being thrown violently open. In ran an Auror bleeding profusely, screaming for help.  
  
Rushing towards him, Dumbledore asked what had happened.  
  
"Death Eaters-," he was interrupted as Dumbledore leapt to his feet and yelled, "They've breeched the apparition wards!"  
  
As those words were spoken, Harry watched in horror as Death Eaters began to appear in the Entrance Hall.  
  
Jumping to his feet, Harry moved to help the teachers fight off the army of Death Eaters.  
  
As the teachers were forced back, the oldest students moved forward to join the battle. Ducking a hex, Harry quickly stunned a Death Eater and turned to the next one, finishing him in the same way. Continuing in this manner, Harry fought frantically. There was no end of the masked men in sight.  
  
----------  
  
As the Death Eaters appeared in the Entrance Hall, Destiny began to herd all Slytherins below their fifth year towards the teachers table. With the help on several others, they overturned the table and kneeled down behind it.  
  
"Anyone fifth year and above who wishes to fight, may. Everyone else, protect each other and stay down!"  
  
Turning away, she hurried out into the chaos to collect other students who were too young to protect themselves.  
  
----------  
  
Dodging frantically, Harry turned to meet his next opponent and froze. There in front of him was Lord Voldemort.  
  
And he had backed himself into a corner.  
  
"So, you are the one who is said to be able to defeat me?"  
  
Confused, Harry merely gripped his wand tighter.  
  
"Born to parents who have thrice defied me? Born as the seventh month dies? Does this not describe you little boy?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"No?" Voldemort asked mockingly. "I assure you it is indeed you the prophesy speaks of. It could have been another but little Neville Longbottom died without a fight."  
  
Horrified, Harry screamed, "NO!" and raised his wand to curse the other wizard.  
  
Bringing his wand up faster, Voldemort yelled, "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
As the green light rushed toward him, the noise of the surrounding battle ceased to exist for him. In the last instant though, something rammed into his side and threw him to the ground. Hitting the floor with a thud, Harry turned to see what had saved him and froze.  
  
"Ginny!"  
  
Crawling to her side, he turned her over and stared into her lifeless eyes.  
  
"No," he gasped. "NO!"  
  
Jumping to his feet, he looked up in time to be hit by a second Killing Curse.  
  
A/N: Sorry about the delay. Won't happen again; I swear. The next chapter is a third finished and will be out next week sometime. 


	10. Demons within Us

Demons within Us  
  
Chapter 10  
  
As the green light encircled his body, Harry screamed in agony. As suddenly as it had begun, the pain was gone and he was left lying on the floor panting. Feeling a warm liquid dripping down his forehead, he pressed his hand against the wound and squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
"Harry, Harry, oh Merlin; please wake up!"  
  
"Hermione?" he mumbled groggily.  
  
"Oh thank God!"  
  
"Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey's voice came to him as if through a haze. "Do you know what you were hit with?"  
  
Blinking open his eyes, he starred up at the blurred shapes.  
  
'Where are my glasses?' he wondered.  
  
"What were you hit with?" she repeated slowly.  
  
"Um . . . the Killing Curse. . ."  
  
Realizing what had happened, he sat up abruptly.  
  
"Excuse me?" Pomfrey asked.  
  
"The Killing Curse; Voldemort threw it at me." Looking around he saw that the battle had ended leaving many wounded. "Where's Voldemort?"  
  
Wincing at the name, the nurse replied, "Gone for some time now. He left with his monsters after cursing you."  
  
"Where are my glasses?"  
  
"Here Harry," Hermione replied in a choked voice, setting them in his hand.  
  
Shoving them on, he glanced around.  
  
"Ginny was hurt; is she alright?"  
  
Immediately Hermione began to sob. "Harry," she gasped, "I'm so sorry. . ."  
  
"No," Harry cried, jumping to his feet and running to where Ron was kneeling.  
  
Reaching out, he gently touched her cheek before squeezing his eyes shut.  
  
"I should have protected her," Ron whispered, tears running down his face.  
  
"She saved me," Harry sobbed. "Why would she do something so stupid?"  
  
Slowly raising his head to look at his best friend, Ron gaped at him. "Harry, what happened to your forehead?"  
  
Touching the still bleeding wound, Harry muttered, "Got cursed."  
  
"Oh." Looking back down at his sister, he sniffed. "Why Ginny?"  
  
----------  
  
Walking through the bodies that littered the ground, Destiny searched for white-blond hair in a sea of injured and dying. Spotting Draco leaning against the wall, she hurried over.  
  
"Draco?" she moaned. Dropping to her knees, she pressed a hand over the gaping wound in his stomach.  
  
"Desti. . ." he gasped, blinking his eyes open.  
  
"Hang in there; help is on the way." Knowing that no healer could save her friend, she whispered, "Stanton, come to me."  
  
Feeling a light breeze, she turned and watched as out of a shadow the vampire appeared.  
  
"Yes?" he smiled, glancing around with interest at the sight of so much blood.  
  
"Save him," she commanded, pointing to the blond.  
  
Smile slipping from his face, he took a step back. "You're joking, yes?"  
  
"Do it!"  
  
Wide eyed, the vampire grabbed the boy and bit him just as his death rattle began. Sitting back on her heels, Destiny watched as the human in her friend died. When the exchange was complete, Stanton sat back and looked at her through endlessly sad eyes.  
  
"Don't look at me like that," she snapped.  
  
"You did this boy no favor. He will be hunted ruthlessly."  
  
"Not if nobody knows."  
  
"How can they not know? For two days this boy will be dead."  
  
"Then for two days you will hide him. When those days are over, he will return with the excuse that he was ill and couldn't go to the hospital wing as it was too overrun by the injured. It will be busy around here and nobody will notice his disappearance."  
  
Nodding, Stanton said, "It could work. While he sleeps I will get him a ring to protect him from the sun."  
  
"Thank you. You have no idea the gift you've given to me."  
  
----------  
  
Harry had no idea how much time had passed as he sat with Ron and Hermione guarding Ginny's body until it could be dealt with. Glancing around, he caught a glimpse of Destiny hovering over Malfoy with another blond. Turning away, Harry was about to fall back into his misery when his head snapped back around.  
  
'Destiny. . .' he thought.  
  
Leaping to his feet, he ignored his friend's questions as he rushed to her side and grabbed her arm. As soon as his hand clamped down on her arm, he found himself sitting on the ground. Clutching his jaw, he realized she had hit him.  
  
"Oh, it's you. Sorry," she said insincerely.  
  
Rubbing where he had been hit, he said, "I need your help."  
  
"The great Harry Potter needs little old me?" Sneering, she mocked, "I'm flattered, truly."  
  
"Get over yourself. This isn't about us. Ginny's dead; I want you to bring her back."  
  
Blinking, she muttered, "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Yes, you do," Harry snapped loudly. Waving her hands about in an attempt to quiet him only caused him to speaker louder. "You can bring her back from the dead, I know you can." By now, people were staring and beginning to nudge those around them. "You're the Necromancer; help her!"  
  
At this proclamation, silence filled the hall as the occupants stared in horror, some backing away.  
  
Quietly, Destiny replied, "Even if I was a . . . whatever, which I'm not, those spells haven't been cast successfully in over a thousand years."  
  
So quietly that Destiny almost didn't hear him, Harry replied, "Then how did you save me after I drowned?"  
  
Feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her, she swallowed convulsively.  
  
"How do you remember that?"  
  
"It's kind of hard to forget."  
  
"Why didn't you say something?"  
  
"You didn't want anyone to remember so out of gratefulness for what you had done, I didn't say anything."  
  
"So you chose now, in front of a bazillion people to inform me?" she snarled.  
  
Stepping back, he looked at his feet.  
  
"I'm sorry but please, please save Ginny. I- I love her."  
  
Pressing her lips into a thin line, she whispered, "For the sake of love . . . I'll try. Harry, you must understand though; I don't think this is going to work."  
  
"Just try, that's all I ask."  
  
Nodding, she walked to where the body laid, the crowd parting before her. Touching the girls forehead, she pulled her hand back as an empty feeling flowed through her. Shivering she turned to Harry.  
  
"Her time has passed."  
  
"Try, you little-," pulling out his wand, Ron pointed it at the Necromancer.  
  
Calmly, as if she wasn't staring down the wrong end of a wand, Destiny replied, "She was meant to die today. If she hadn't been murdered she would have fallen down a flight of stairs or something. She shouldn't be brought back."  
  
"But she can be?" Harry pressed.  
  
"There is a very small chance-"  
  
"Do it."  
  
"I'm not God, Harry. She was supposed to die and we're messing with that."  
  
"Do it," Harry repeated, pulling out his wand, "or you'll be joining Ginny."  
  
Pursing her lips, she knelt back down. Placing one hand over the heart and the other on the forehead, she closed her eyes.  
  
'Ginny, forgive me,' she thought, allowing the power to course through her.  
  
Unaware of the wind or anything around her, her gaze searched the plains of the dead for the one soul she sought.  
  
"Exanumum arbitratus dego. Vespillon arbitratus aspiro. Anima-" Faltering, she felt something brush against her. "Anima luruae-" Gasping for breath, she forced herself to finish. "-vita abscido. Cordis, battuo. Aspiro. DEGO!"  
  
Three times through she forced out the incantation before breathing into the girls face. Feeling her knees hit the floor, she scrambled back.  
  
Staring at the unmoving girl, Harry asked anxiously, "Well?"  
  
Swallowing the vomit that was rising in her throat, she whispered, "Aspiro. Dego."  
  
Immediately the body began to choke and force breath into the once still body. As the crowd cheered, Destiny backed away some more.  
  
As the red head sat up, Destiny whirled away and ran to one of the house tables and began to search the floor. Finding what she wanted, she shoved her way through the crowd. Seeing who it was, they moved aside easily. Stopping a few feet from the teenagers, she gripped her finding tighter.  
  
"Ginny, how are you? How do you feel?" Ron asked, helping the girl stay seated.  
  
"Do you need something to drink?" Harry asked.  
  
"No," Ginny replied serenely.  
  
Losing control of his emotions, Harry pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Gin, I was so scared. Don't ever do that again!"  
  
Grin spreading widely over her face, Ginny raised her arms to embrace him back. Taking her chance, Destiny lunged forward and grabbed the red head by the hair, yanking her head back. Raising the black steak knife, she brought it down fast, prepared to put it through her heart. Jerking to the side, a chunk of red hair was pulled free of her head as the knife missed its mark and sank into Ginny's shoulder. Shrieking, she jumped away.  
  
"Oh my God!" Harry yelled, running to his girlfriend. "What is wrong with you?"  
  
Reaching out to stop the blood flow, he froze when Destiny shrieked, "Don't touch her!" Staring in shock, Harry chose to ignore her. "That's not Ginny; it's a demon!"  
  
Freezing, Harry watched in horror as Ginny pulled the knife from her shoulder and the skin instantly began to heal. Growling, the creature dropped the knife and lunged at the Necromancer. As she was hit, Destiny allowed herself to fall and rolled with it until she was on top. Punching the demon in the face didn't even slow it as it reached up and squeezed its hands around Destiny's throat. Choking, Destiny was attempting to pry the fingers off when something began to drag Ginny away by the hair.  
  
Collapsing, Destiny felt her throat and blinked the stars from her eyes. Hearing scuffling noises, she weakly turned her head. There Harry stood, desperately trying to subdue the monster without hurting it.  
  
"Ginny, love, I know you're still in there. Fight this thing!"  
  
Snarling, the thing lunged again.  
  
Rolling to her side, Destiny forced herself to climb weakly to her knees and looked around for help. None was forthcoming. All stood and watched the fight mesmerized, not a soul thinking to step in and help the boy fighting for his life, half blinded by the blood leaking from his wounded forehead.  
  
Rising shakily to her feet, she steadied herself and used the last of her energy to grab the demon's head from behind and twist it around backwards. In the silence of the room, the snapping of bones echoed and then the thud of the body sounded as it hit the floor.  
  
----------  
  
Watching the Necromancer stagger away from the broken body of his dead girlfriend, she reached up and gingerly touched an already forming bruise on her neck.  
  
"I told you she was dead," Destiny croaked. "Next time listen! I think I would know better than you what I was talking about!"  
  
Turning, she staggered away rubbing her neck.  
  
"Destiny!" Harry called.  
  
The girl never paused.  
  
----------  
  
Once the girl was gone, whispers filled the room. Looking around, Harry spotted Sirius in the mass. Moving over to him, Harry gave a weak grin. Not receiving one in return, it slipped away.  
  
"You gave her away," Sirius growled dangerously. "Do you know what you've done?"  
  
Wiping blood from his eyes, Harry looked away. "I'm sorry. . ."  
  
"Sorry won't give my daughter her life back. The Ministry will hunt her down now."  
  
Shocked, Harry exclaimed, "Dumbledore won't let them!"  
  
"He will hold them off," Sirius agreed bitterly, "but not forever. Sooner or later they will get her."  
  
Horrified, Harry whispered, "No. . ." Shaking his head, Sirius walked away in search of his daughter.  
  
----------  
  
Not far from the Great Hall, Sirius found Destiny looking in a mirror, rubbing her neck.  
  
"Des, are you alright?" Sirius asked worriedly, hurrying to her side. "I saw the whole thing but couldn't get through the crowd."  
  
"Stupid cow bruised my neck," she mumbled.  
  
Seeing she was fine, he said, "You need to leave here."  
  
"No, it'll be fine."  
  
Seeing she wasn't going to budge, he pleaded, "Alright, but promise me that if it gets even remotely bad, you'll leave. Promise or you come home with me now!"  
  
Nodding, she pulled her hair out of its clip and let it fall around her shoulders, partially covering the neck.  
  
"I promise." 


	11. Choosing Sides

Choosing Sides

Chapter 11

Over the next two days, Hogwarts was in chaos. Many students had died and grieving parents arrived to claim the bodies of their children. Other parents arrived to remove their children from the school they now deemed to be unsafe. Other parents also arrived to remove the kids from the school they now deemed to be unsafe. Wards that had been destroyed in the attack were rebuilt twice as strong.

"We assumed that Voldemort wouldn't dare to attack Hogwarts and became lax in our security," Dumbledore announced one evening. "The new wards are impenetrable. The Death Eaters if they through some miracle make it through the first ring of wards will have to walk all the way from the hills of Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. We will have ample time to prepare to fight back. This is the safest place in the world."

Harry, eager to inform his parents that he was indeed safe, wrote a swift letter that also informed them of the events with Ginny. Not long after, Harry watched a large group of people moving towards Hogwarts with their possessions in tow. At the head of the crowd were the Potters.

"Mum? What's going on?" Harry asked as his parents reached the Entrance Hall.

"Oh Harry, thank Merlin you're alright!" Lily said, hugging her son. "The wards surrounding our neighborhood fell with Hogwarts. We don't have time to rebuild them so the families are moving here."

Nodding, Harry followed silently.

----------

Sitting in the dark as she had been doing for the past forty-eight hours, Destiny watched as a shaky breath filled Draco's form.

"Welcome back," she murmured as his eyes flickered open.

"Where are we?" Draco rasped out.

"Grimmauld Place."

Sitting up suddenly, Draco exclaimed, "The battle!"

"Sh," she soothed, forcing him to lye down, "it's over."

"Who won?"

"Voldemort accomplished what he wanted to and left." Seeing he didn't understand, she continued. "He marked his equal just like the prophecy said he would. Now he can begin to end this war."

Rubbing his head, he turned back to her. "Did anyone die?"

"Yes, Neville Longbottom, Blaise Zabini," at this he looked away, "several Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs."

"Anyone else I know?" he whispered.

"Ginny Weasley."

"Bet Potter didn't take that well."

"No, Destiny admitted, "he announced to the entire school that I'm the monster of death."

"He did what?" Draco snapped.

"Then he goaded me into trying to raise Weasley from the dead."

"Oh, Des," he whispered, taking her hand, "please tell me you didn't."

Pulling her hand away, she confirmed his fear.

"It didn't work and I ended up killing her again. Then I came here."

"You're such an idiot! Did you try to clean up your mess or did you just run away?"

"What do you think?" she snapped. "There was nothing else I could have done! I did try to smooth things over but they were horrified and I'm lucky to not have been burned at the stake or something!"

Pursing his lips, he looked away in order to stop the flow of degrading words that came to his lips. He lay in a dark room painted with maroon walls. Dust had settled many years ago on the decorations and through the years had thickened considerably. Paintings that hung on the walls gave off an eerie feeling as if the occupants were indeed capable of doing harm. The knick knacks on the tables were obviously of a dark nature and the books on the shelves would have been frowned upon by normal society. Facing his friend once more, he asked quietly, "What am I doing here?"

"You were injured; there was a large hole in you. I saved you."

"You saved me?" he inquired, raising an unbelieving eyebrow.

"Well, Stanton saved you?"

"The vampire?"

"Um, yeah."

"So, now I'm a blood sucking parasite?"

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"You really don't have to speak with such distaste," a voice stated liltingly from the dark doorway. Stepping in, Constance smiled. "You need to feed child and then you must return to Hogwarts before anyone realizes that you've gone."

Nodding, Destiny added, "You'll be my eyes and ears."

"You're not coming back?"

"No," Destiny replied curtly.

"While you were out," Constance explained, "The Ministry passed a new law. It says that all Dark Creatures are to be branded with tracking marks so that they'll know when one goes over to the dark side. They seem to thing that Destiny is evil." Eyes drifting lazily to her, she smiled slightly at the dark haired girl.

"So, you can see why I won't be returning. They know what I am and I will die before I allow them to degrade me in such a way," Destiny announced.

"And the rest of your people; what will they do?"

"Our people, Draco," Constance corrected him softly. "You are in danger too."

"They will move and reset up their lives elsewhere."

"They're running away," Draco stated, disgusted.

"They are avoiding the certain death that would come to them if they were caught. They would fight for freedom and humans would die and in turn, so would my people."

"So, you're expecting me to allow myself to be branded like a cow?"

"No, no one knows that you are anything less that human. Just . . . be discrete. If you're discovered, run. Under no circumstances will you allow yourself to be taken alive."

Nodding, Draco agreed.

----------

Returning to Hogwarts through a secret tunnel in Hogsmeade, Draco walked quietly through the relatively empty halls, taking in the large amount of people gathered in the once empty classrooms.

"Malfoy," a voice snapped behind him. "What are you doing outside of your common room?"

Turning back to face the voice, Draco found himself face to face with his cousin Nymphadora Tonks.

"Hello Nymphadora," he drawled, "lovely to see you again."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at him. "I asked you a question."

"I was hungry," came the blonds reply.

"Hungry?" she spluttered in disbelief. "People are dead! Voldemort has attacked- successfully I might add- the only safe place! Everyone is pointing fingers at each other in blame for the security failure and to top it off, sixteen year old boys are surviving the Killing Curse and you're wondering about thinking about your stomach?"

"Yes. . ." he relied slowly. "No one else is thinking about it for me so I figured I best help myself." Hearing her low growling noise, he continued, "Besides, none of this is really any of my business."

"Of course not; I mean, your father is only Voldemort's second-in-command. You have nothing to fear from him."

Merely raising his eyebrow, Draco asked, "So, how did Potter survive?" Rolling her eyes, at him, she stormed off. "Women, I'll never understand them."

Reaching the common room without any further problems, Draco calmly approached Pansy Parkinson.

"How did Potter survive?" he demanded.

Continuing to flip through her magazine, she replied, "They're saying Potter may have the ability to repel and absorb curses. Knocks him for a loop for a little while though."

Blinking, Draco gasped, "He can repel the Unforgivables?"

"Apparently," came her bored reply. "Not sure I believe it though." Leaning forward, she examined a dress robe on the page. "I mean, this is Potter. Since when is he special?"

"Yeah, he's nothing special."

Laughing nervously, Draco headed for his dorm. Shaking his head, he thought, 'It's no wonder I always came out the worse in our fights.'

----------

Sneaking quietly through the deserted corridors of the Ministry of Magic, Destiny ducked behind a statue as an Auror walked by. When the footsteps had faded, she resumed her path. Reaching the door, she nodded for one of her ghosts to enter. Minutes later the spirit returned.

"Well?"

Biting his lip, the ghost reached out and touched her forehead. As the information was passed between them, the blood began to drain rapidly from her face. Fighting the rising bile in her throat, she whispered, "Oh God."

----------

"Concentration camps?" Constance asked doubtfully. "Are you quite sure?"

"Yes," Destiny snapped, running her hand violently through her hair. "The Ministry must have heard about the negotiations with Voldemort. There are maps and everything of it."

"Now what?" Stanton inquired.

"Now? What choice do we have; we have to help destroy the Ministry before it finishes us."

"Voldemort?" Constance breathed out.

Nodding, the Necromancer Queen confirmed.

----------

Sitting in Dumbledore's expanded office, Sirius watched as the Order of the Phoenix members filed in and found seats. Last to enter was the headmaster. Seating himself at the head of the group, he cleared his throat.

"It has been confirmed; Harry Potter is indeed the one from the prophecy."

"No," Lily whispered. Louder, she repeated herself. "No! He's just a little boy! How can you expect him to fight a full-grown wizard?"

Gazing at her sadly, Dumbledore replied, "We will train him. When he goes up against Voldemort, he will know the spells he needs."

Rising angrily to his feet, James snapped, "And what if we refuse to allow you to do this to our child?"

"That is not an option," Dumbledore stated in a quiet voice.

"He is my son and you have no say in it if we refuse to allow you to train him."

"If you fight me on this," the headmaster said sadly, "Harry will be taken from your custody."

Stunned, Sirius gaped at the old man. "Are you insane? This is suicide! You can't expect a sixteen year old boy to go up against the Dark Lord and survive!"

"I'm not asking for his survival. I'm only asking for his success. He will be joining this war in a few years time anyway."

"No!" James shouted, "I won't allow it!"

Calmly, Dumbledore said, "With or without your permission, Harry will fight." Turning to face the rest of the Order, he announced, "I want him ready to fight by this time next year. If it can be done sooner then see that it happens." Gesturing that they were finished, he returned to the Potters. "Do not make this more difficult than it has to be. There is no other alternative."

"He'll die," James whispered.

"Perhaps," the headmaster acknowledged, "but his death will save countless others."

Horrified, Sirius left the room. 'This is not the side I joined,' he thought. 'We have truly become no better than Voldemort.'

----------

From beneath his invisibility cloak, Harry swallowed convulsively. They were going to force him to kill someone. Even though it was a madman, it would still be murder.

When he had snuck into the corner of the headmasters' office, Harry had known it wasn't a good idea. After having been ignored for days though, he believed he had a right to know how he had managed to survive the curse that had killed all others it came in contact with.

'Guess I know now,' he thought bitterly, throwing off the cloak and climbing into bed. Staring thoughtfully at the ceiling, he came to a decision. 'I'm going to do it. For Ginny.'

----------

Walking swiftly through the halls, Sirius stopped the blond haired boy as he passed.

"Draco, tell Destiny to have her trunk packed and be ready to leave by dawn tomorrow."

Walking away before the boy could reply, Draco watched him go. Shrugging, Draco continued on his way. If the man didn't even realize that his daughter had been gone for several days, who was he to inform the man otherwise.

----------

The next morning, Harry was called to the headmasters' office.

"Have a seat Harry," Dumbledore ordered.

Taking a seat between his already seated parents, he watched the old man quietly.

"I'm sure you're wondering just how you managed to survive that curse several days ago."

"No, Sir. I know how it happened."

Nodding, Dumbledore didn't question how he had come by this knowledge. "And do you agree to be trained to fight?"

"Yes Sir. I want nothing more than the chance to avenge Ginny."

"Very well. You're training will begin in an hour in the Charms room."

Standing Harry glanced over to where his mother now sat crying quietly before turning away.

----------

As James left his rooms after comforting his weeping wife, he turned to see his best friend striding quickly toward him.

"Have you seen Destiny?" he asked anxiously.

Shaking his head, he asked why.

"She was supposed to be in the Slytherin common room waiting for me this morning but when I went to see her, nobody seemed to know where she was."

"I'm sure she's just wondering around the castle," James replied carelessly. "Why don't you check the Astronomy Tower; she's always liked it up there."

As he began to walk away, he was stopped by the desperation in Sirius' voice.

"James, nobody has seen her since the attack."

----------

Sitting at a table across from Voldemort, Destiny attempted to sit still and not fiddle with her feathered quill.

"Have you finished yet?" the snake-man snapped.

Startled, Destiny gripped the quill tighter until it let out a small cracking sound. Drawing a deep breath, she nodded. Pushing the piece of parchment across the table, she spoke.

"This is the list of demands that the Dark Creatures wish to have granted in exchange for our help.

Glancing over the list, he nodded. "There is nothing else you wish to add?"

"If," Correcting herself, she continued. "When you win, I want my own country where I will be in control and you will not interfere. If you agree, we will help you. When this war ends, we will not try to overthrow you providing that we are left in peace according to the contract.

"Nodding, Voldemort hissed, "Agreed."

----------

A search had begun for the missing girl throughout the castle ending with the friends meeting up in the Entrance Hall.

"She's not here Sirius," Julia announced, worry clear in her voice. "I checked with Rosaline and she hasn't seen her either."

"She's not on the map," Remus commented, "and she's not in the Shrieking Shack."

"Not in Hogsmeade either," James finished.

Sighing sadly, Sirius lowered his head. "So, she's left then."

"Left?" Julia gasped. "Where would she go?"

"I don't know. She promised that if it became too dangerous for her to be here that she would leave." Annoyed, he remarked, "I didn't mean on her own though."

Shifting uncomfortably, Remus remained silent. Sometimes knowledge was best kept to ones self.

----------

Arriving in the charms classroom, Harry was surprised to see Aurors waiting for him.

"Um, hello?" he asked.

"Ah, Harry," Kingsley Shacklebolt smiled. "Glad you could make it."

Nervously, Harry said, "I thought that Professor Flitwick was going to be teaching me."

"Nope," Nymphadora Tonks exclaimed, "You're going to be getting a real Aurors education from those who know."

"Oh," he commented, "lucky me."


	12. The Paths We Follow

The Paths We Follow

Chapter 12

Winter arrived and with it the blanket of snow that was always guaranteed in the hills surrounding Hogwarts. Soon the snow turned to slush, leaving muddy grass which dried at the beginning of a warm beautiful summer. The occupants of the castle failed to notice the changes as within the stone walls; the children were being trained to fight if they had no other choice. When school let out, many still remained within the stone walls, with one still learning despite the summer holidays. Summer passed and with it the beautiful green scenery of the forest and grounds. As school resumed and the students once more returned, Harry watched out the window, bitter that he was in the arriving carriages, that his destiny was taking away even the most simple of pleasures in life. He should have been able to graduate last spring yet here he sat, still a student, unable to move on the real world.

Sighing, Harry rose to his feet and crossed to the door. Pausing in front of the mirror to attempt to smooth his hair, he smiled at what was reflected back at him. Over the past ten months he had had a growth spurt and, though he'd never be considered tall, he was now average at 5'11". Having had many accidents in training where he had not been able to fight properly after losing his glasses, Harry had finally agreed to have his vision corrected, leaving his vivid green eyes more noticeable than ever.

Continuing out the door, intent on meeting up with his friends as they arrived, his plans were interrupted by the arrival of Rosaline Black.

"Hi Harry," the fifteen year old chirped.

"Oh, hey Ros," he murmured, attempting to side-step her.

"Did you hear the latest news from the Order yet?"

"No, not yet," came the uninterested reply.

"Well," the girl continued, hurrying to keep up, "One of the spies just heard that Destiny was officially named You-Know-Who's second in command."

Halting immediately, Rosaline barely missed running into him. Turning slowly to face her, Harry whispered dangerously, "There has never been any proof that Des is a Death Eater."

"Oh, come off it Harry!" she exclaimed in exasperation, "Everyone knows that she signed an agreement to work for You-Know-Who. Why else would all of the Dark Creatures have joined him? I mean, even Remus has run off and vanished!"

"Maybe it's because the Ministry was branding them, rounding them up, and either killing them or experimenting on them. Can you really blame them?"

Giving him a condescending glance, she said, "They would have remained out of the war unless Destiny gave the order."

"Des is not a Death Eater!" he snapped.

"I thought you hated her, so what does it matter?"

"Because. . . Just because I dislike how rude she is doesn't mean I'm going to point fingers and cry Death Eater. If you know what's good for you, you won't either," he replied towering over her menacingly.

As he stormed away, Rosaline remained standing in the hall, watching his retreating back.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she muttered.

----------

"Hey, Harry, wait up!" Ron called. Running up to him, he leaned over, gripping his knees, panting.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Fine," he gasped before he was interrupted by Hermione as she ran around the corner.

"She has the Dark Mark!" Hermione shrieked.

Tonelessly, Harry replied, "Who is it now?"

"Dakota Lupin."

"No" he denied, shaking his head frantically, "She wouldn't! She loves Remus and knows how loyal he is to the cause!"

"Harry," she replied gently. "Nobody has seen Remus for months. People are saying that he's either dead or working for Voldemort. Why else would he have vanished when he knew he was safe here at Hogwarts from the Ministry?"

"I don't believe either scenario. Remus is loyal and alive; he loves my parents and Sirius more than anything."

"Apparently," Ron stated, "his loyalty lies stronger with Destiny Black."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you don't want to believe it of your childhood friend," Hermione frowned, "but that girl is evil and a Death Eater."

"No," he stated firmly. "You're all wrong."

"She was spotted this morning leading a Death Eater raid. Five Muggles died; ten were hospitalized."

----------

Sitting on the cold stone floor in front of the fire, Destiny nursed her bleeding wounds and many burn marks.

"Stupid Aurors," she mumbled.

Wrapping a bandage around the largest wound, she rose shakily to her feet.

"You need to see a healer," the transparent redhead said, voice sounding as if it was the wind.

"There is no one I can go to. The light healers would kill me and the dark ones would take my blood for immortality, which is not an option."

"Neither is bleeding to death."

Glaring at her, she half heartedly told her to go to hell.

"Don't you know," Ginny Weasley replied, "I'm already there."

"You know," Destiny snapped, "Nobody's forcing you to hang out with me!"

"You should be glad I do. Without me, you would have no one."

Straightening up, Destiny hissed, "Of course I would. I have my parents—"

"Your parents don't even mention you anymore. You're a huge disappointment." Gritting her teeth, Destiny ignored her. "I'm right you know and you have no one to blame but yourself."

Gritting her teeth, she attempted to ignore the repeating words.

'Nobody to blame but yourself. . ."

'No,' she thought, 'Ginny's right. I brought this upon myself and now I'm going to die all alone.'

----------

Newly accepted into the Order of the Phoenix, Harry glanced around curiously at all the faces. Though there were many, he couldn't help but notice who was missing. Alastor "Madeye" Moody who had died not even a week before trying to capture Bellatrix Lestrage. Dakota Lupin, locked in the adjoining room, waiting to be questioned. Remus Lupin, Oliver Wood, Charlie Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ginny. . . The list went on and on and everyday it grew.

'This will never end,' Harry thought helplessly.

As Dumbledore stood up to speak, the door to his office burst open and Remus strode in.

"Remus!" James called, standing before cutting himself off as people began to draw their wands.

"I wouldn't waste time trying to kill me," Remus said quietly. "Voldemort is mobilizing his people to attack Azkaban. He's about to release his servants."

Cautiously, Dumbledore commanded, "Roll up your sleeve."

Doing so showed nothing but scarred skin from his monthly transformations. Lowering their wands, Dumbledore spoke. "Azkaban you say?"

"Yes, Azkaban."

----------

Sitting in the rocking boat waiting to depart, Destiny thought back on the last few months.

After leaving Hogwarts, Destiny had indeed joined Voldemort bringing with her the allegiance of all Dark Creatures. Naturally there had been those who had refused and chose death but for the most part, they did indeed join up. Keeping in touch with Draco had proved to be a large problem and it was not long before he was caught and dragged off before the Ministry. After receiving a mockery of a trail, Draco had been sent to an experimentation camp for Dark Creatures—more specifically, the one working on new, more effective ways to destroy vampires without having to get within staking range. Horrified, Destiny had mounted an attack against that camp and several more and released all of the prisoners, killing all who had caused her people pain.

Moving quickly through the ranks, Destiny had been named Voldemort's second, thereby strengthening the Dark Lord's power over the Dark Creatures. Though happy at the time, Destiny had soon learned that being a second wasn't all it was cracked up to be, She was constantly in harms way and more and more of her people were dying in suicide missions. I didn't take long for Destiny to see that Voldemort was using her people to do his dirty work and leaving the spoils for the humans.

In the boat she shook her head. This was suicide too. Azkaban could not be taken.

'Especially since Dumbledore seems to know everything.'

Everyone knew that there was a spy in their ranks yet no one knew who. Though Destiny suspected Dakota Lupin, she never said anything. Once she was arrested, much of the information had ceased to be passed but someone—someone high on the power scale was still passing on Voldemorts' secrets.

Shivering, Destiny wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. As a man sat beside her, she glanced over.

"Hello Professor," she said lazily, attempting to stop the chattering of her jaws.

"Black," Snape nodded.

"I wasn't aware you were to be in on this raid."

"Of course. You've messed up to many of our Lord's plans and this is too important for failure." Scowling, she looked away. "Were you even aware of this raid before you were called?"

"No, I do believe that only Malfoy Sr. really knew anything," she replied, absently picking at a thread on her cloak. "How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning."

"When was that?"

"September."

"But that was months ago!"

Nodding, Snape replied, "Six months ago. My how time does fly."

Shifting closer to him, she mumbled, "Does Dumbledore know?"

Hesitating, Snape replied, "Not likely."

"But if you've known about this for months—." Breaking off as a Death Eater walked by, she waited until he was farther away before continuing. "Why hasn't anyone informed the old fart?"

"You-Know-Who changed the date at the last moment. It wasn't supposed to happen until March."

"So, he moved it back a month," she mused. "Interesting."

"No, not interesting. It means that he suspects that I am the spy."

"But, my dear Professor, you are indeed what you are being accused of."

Refusing to admit anything, he asked, "And how would you even know if I was?"

"I have my ways and don't worry; I won't tell. To each his own I say. And it's interesting because Voldemort knows the spy is definitely in his inner circle now." Stiffening, Snape glanced about as if he expected to be attacked at a moment. "You better pray that Dumbledore shows up and proves that since you had no time to go to warn him that it wasn't you."

----------

She knew. The little brat had always known!

Severus Snape had spent all of his adult life in the Dark Lord's service and had passed information to Dumbledore all the while. Having led such a dangerous life had forced him to be cautious at every step yet somehow he had failed.

'How did she find out?'

He knew that he should have denied being the spy but it would have been a waste of breath.

'She must have known for a while,' he realized, 'She's even been watching me. I'm going to die.'

He had never expected to make it out of this war alive, yet with his own impending death, he was suddenly very much afraid.

----------

As the Order rushed about to collect what would be needed in the battle, Remus stood silently and watched. In the chaos that had ensued after his announcement, he had been forgotten and had moved out of the way so as not to be re-noticed. As Lily crossed in front of him, Remus' hand shot out and dragged her closer to him.

Seeing her questioning eyes, he asked, "Where is my wife?"

"Oh, Remus, I'm so sorry. She's a Death Eater."

"Yes," he stated, "Now where is she?"

Gaping at him, she asked incredulously, "You don't care?"

"Why would I care considering I am not any better?" Seeing that she was going to scream, he put a hand over her mouth. "Please, I love her. I don't want to see her die."

"Why?" Lily gasped. "Why would you betray us?"

Immediately Remus' face darkened. "Betray you? I never betrayed you. Neither has Dakota."

"You're a Death Eater!"

"What other choice did I have?"

"You would have been safe here."

"No, I would have been killed here. If Dumbledore allowed Draco Malfoy to be taken then what would have stopped them from taking me. I mean, Malfoy was a child yet that didn't stop them from sending him off to die."

Bowing her head, she nodded. "Get her out of here then. She's in the room off of the Headmasters office." Letting go of her, Remus turned to leave. "Remus?" she called. "Please don't go back to Voldemort. I don't want to see you caught."

Nodding slowly, Remus agreed.

Turing to leave the now deserted room, Lily left to help the Order.

----------

Arriving at the island, the Order members looked around. Nothing was to be heard, not even the screams of the prisoners.

"We were too late," Harry murmured to his parents.

Nodding, James said, "I believe you're right."

"We're going to go in to see if anyone was left behind," Dumbledore announced.

Opening the swinging door of the prison, Dumbledore stepped in.

----------

From within the dampness of the prison, Destiny crouched beside a wall and waited. The Order could be heard throughout the prison, searching for any prisoners left behind.

Hearing movement coming closer to her, she nodded at those beside and behind her. Immediately they rose to their feet and began to curse the Order. Watching the colorful lights ricocheting off the walls and hitting people, Destiny stepped back out of the way and left the fighting to move deeper into the prison.

Walking for a while, she came to another group fighting and watched. Voldemort was not going to be pleased that they were unable to escape before the Order had arrived. Once again, with her in command, things were falling apart and soon she would have to face his wrath.

----------

By the time that the fighting had ended, many of those who had been trying to escape had been killed due to the lack of a wand. Retreating to the boats on the opposite side of the island from the Order, the Death Eaters propelled the boats until they were out of the apperation wards before vanishing. Reappearing in Voldemorts headquarters, Destiny led the group to where the snake-like man was waiting.

After what was left of the Death Eaters returned, Voldemort rose to his feet.

"Destiny Black," he hissed. Flinching at the use of her name, she looked him defiantly in the eye.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Come with me."

Relief swept through her as she realized that she wasn't going to die, not today. Voldemort always made an example of those he chose to kill. Following him into another room, she was stunned to see her little sister standing there.

"Rosaline?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hello sister," came the reply.

"Rosaline came to me with very interesting news," Voldemort whispered dangerously.

"What, my Lord, is that?"

"Someone betrayed us to that crack-pot old fool."

"May I ask who my Lord?"

"Remus Lupin."

"I'm sorry to hear that my Lord," Destiny said, her stomach sinking. Remus was her favorite person here and the only living friend around. With Draco in hiding, not wanting to face his father's wrath for being less than human, Destiny had been left with virtually no one. Now, she truly was all alone. "He will be disposed of."

"My thoughts," Voldemort continued as if he had not heard her, "is how he betrayed us at all if you did not give him permission to."

Freezing, Destiny stared at him wide eyed.

"My Lord, no, I wouldn't—"

"Oh, little Black," Voldemort hissed, "I believe you would."

Reaching for her wand with the intent of fighting her way out, she was immediately petrified by her little sister.

"Naturally I would love to make an example of you yet, I can not. The Dark Creatures would fight against me if they knew I killed you. So you will be disposed of quietly and they will be told that you have been moved to another part of the country to command my Death Eaters. You will even be thanked for bringing your sister into the fold."

Horrified, Destiny could do nothing but stare at the ceiling, praying that Ginny would show up and help her.

"Oh, and Des?" Rosaline asked sweetly. "I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to take your spot as our Lord's second. Well," laughing lightly, she continued, "I have been his second for months but it was very convenient to have your people be the true Death Eaters' shields against the curses. Very useful." Seeing her sister's anger she laughed. "Oh, Des, don't you know. You may be brave but I am cunning. I wasn't the one out there nearly dying." Turning to Voldemort, Rosaline smiled. "Guess she wasn't cunning enough."

"No," Voldemort hissed, "she wasn't." Aiming his wand at her, Destiny watched as a beam of red light streaked toward her before she fell into darkness.

----------

When Destiny woke back up, she was very cramped. Trying to move, she realized that she was in some kind of box. Shifting, she felt bones beside her.

"Oh God," she whispered.

Raising her arms and legs she began to pound on the lid of the coffin that was buried deep in the earth.


	13. Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under

Chapter 13

Breathing raggedly, Destiny fought back tears. 'I'm going to die,' she thought, before kicking the lid weakly. Giving in to despair, she began to sob.

"Mommy," she cried desperately, "Daddy!"

Glancing over at the skeleton that lay beside her, she began to sob harder. Pulling her sleeves down over her hands, she pushed the bones down to the foot of the coffin and curled into a ball.

It wasn't supposed to have ended this way. She was supposed to have helped the Dark Creatures become free; she was supposed to have helped Voldemort's victims move on. There was still so much she wanted to do.

'I've never even had a boyfriend,' she realized in disgust.

How was it that she had managed to control an entire race of people yet hadn't ever managed to do what all other girls her age had already done.

'Have I ever worn makeup?' She tried to remember yet couldn't. 'I just want to go home. Please,' she prayed desperately to any deity that was listening, 'If I get out of here, I swear that I'll go home and try to make amends. No more, I swear.'

"Please," she whispered.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she attempted to calm herself down enough to come up with an escape plan. Concentrating, she attempted to open a hole in the fabric of the world so she could escape into the land of the dead. Blinking at the strange sensation of using her powers, she tried again. It felt as if they were attempting to move through a very stinky substance and within a few seconds, she was completely worn out. Not having the strength to open the portal. Having failed in her first attempt, she tried to come up with another plan.

'If a ghost would just come to me, I know I could make them solid long enough for them to go get some help.' Frustrated, she moved on to the next plan.

Time continued to pass and as it did, Destiny continued to try and free herself. Using a rock that had been stuck in the mud on her shoe, she scratched diligently away at the wood overhead.

"Having problems?" a voice laughed at her feet.

Shrieking, Destiny yanked her feet away from the talking skeleton. Laughing, Ginny came closer to her face.

"Did I scare you?"

Trying to glare at the redhead through the unending darkness, she swallowed thickly. Feeling her throat tighten uncomfortably, she felt tears filling her eyes again. Giving up her tough appearance, she whispered, "Ginny, oh Merlin, I'm so glad you're here. Please, oh please, help me!"

"What happened?" she asked. "Why are you in here?"

"Rosaline decided that she was going to take my spot as Voldemort's second. Naturally, I wasn't needed any more."

"Wow, sucks to be you."

"Ginny!" she shrieked before dissolving into tears. "Please, I don't want to die. Not like this!"

"What do you want me to do?" Ginny whispered, pity lacing her voice. Drawing in a shaky breath, Destiny asked where she was. "Albania, near Riddle House."

"How long will it take you to get to Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts is where I died. I can be there instantly."

Nodding, Destiny said, "Find Harry, tell him what's happened. Ask him to get help. I'll give you ten minutes or so to tell them. And Ginny?" Reaching out, she grasped her hand. "Thank you."

Pulling her hand away, Ginny replied, "I'm not doing this for you. This is for Harry. He has enough to deal with without your death to add to it."

With that, Ginny vanished. Waiting a minute, Destiny sent out her power and made the girl visible though not solid.

"Hurry up girl," Destiny mumbled, "I'm running out of air."

----------

Flying swiftly through the school, Ginny couldn't help but smile at the screams when she became visible. Stopping in front of Professor McGonagall, she smiled.

"Where's Harry?"

"Merlin," the woman yelped, stepping back and knocking over a student. "Miss Weasley?"

"Yeah, hi Professor. Where's Harry?"

"He's with Dumbledore," she replied. "But—"

"Thanks!" Taking off, she ignored McGonagall's call to wait. Flying through the floor, she came to a stop in the corner of the office by a bookshelf. Most of the order was now in the room, bandaging and forcing vials of potions down the injured ones throats. Spotting Harry, she floated over to him.

"Harry."

Glancing up from where he was smoothing a blue slimy potion into Sirius Black's leg, he screamed.

Blinking in surprise, Ginny giggled. "Wow that was really high pitched. You sounded like a girl."

"Ginny? How?"

"Not important," she replied, aware of how little time she had.

"Oh, Ginny, my little girl," Mrs. Weasley cried, forcing her way through the crowd. The noise level instantly surged as the occupants of the room realized what was going on.

"Shut-up!" Ginny shrieked into the rising pandemonium. Gratified to hear the instant silence, she continued. "Destiny Black-" Stopping, she looked around at the instant look of hate on people's faces. Starting over, she decided to play on their hearts. "Destiny is a little girl not even sixteen. She did what she thought was best and has hated herself ever since, wanting nothing more than to go home to her parents. Harry." Turning back to the boy, she lied. "Destiny tried to escape from Voldemort and was caught." Turning back to the Order, she begged, "Help her! Even if she is a Death Eater, she is still just a child!"

"Where is she?" Dumbledore asked.

Smiling at him, Ginny stated, "She has been buried alive. She's in the graveyard by Riddle House. Do you know where that is?"

Nodding, Dumbledore replied, "We will send someone for her immediately."

"Hurry, her air is running out and-" Vanishing from sight, she swore.

----------

"Who will go to retrieve her?" Dumbledore asked.

Not receiving a reply, Sirius raised a shaky hand. "I'll go."

"You can barely stay sitting up!" James exclaimed.

"She's my daughter!"

"She's a Death Eater!"

"I don't care!" Dropping his voice, Sirius continued, "Like Ginny said, she's just a kid who was given too much responsibility. She did the best she could and we let her down when we should have helped her. It's our own fault that she even went over to him." Rising shakily to his feet, he whispered, "I'm not going to fail her anymore. I'll go alone if I have to."

"I'm going with you," James said stubbornly.

"Sirius, drink this healing potion and the two of you can be off," Dumbledore said. "And good luck."

Nodding to him, Sirius took the potion and left.

----------

Feeling her eyes growing heavy, Destiny realized that she was suffocating.

'I tried,' she thought, 'At least I tried.'

Giving up the struggle she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep.

----------

"Is this it?" James asked.

Nodding, Sirius climbed over the low fence and crept quietly between the headstones. Spotting the freshly dug grave, he hurried over. Using their wands, they banished the dirt from the grave. Levitating the coffin from the ground, he swallowed heavily at the sight of where someone had obviously been attempting to claw their way out.

"My God," James whispered.

Hurrying to unlock the coffin, he opened it. Seeing his Goddaughter lying so still, James lunged toward Sirius to hold him back.

"Sirius, come on, go back to headquarters. I'll bring her back."

"What?" he cried, fighting to get past his friend, "What's wrong? Is she hurt?"

"Sirius. . . We were too late. She's gone."

Wrenching away, Sirius stumbled. "No. . ." Shoving past James, he kneeled beside the coffin and stared down at his eldest child's peaceful face. "No, she can't be," he mumbled, touching her cheek. "She's only sixteen." Looking up at his friend, he desperately asked, "How can she be dead? She never got to get married, or have kids, or get a job, or . . . anything. . ." With tears running down his face, he gently lifted her out of the casket.

Stepping closer to the pair, James gently pushed a black curl out of her face. Freezing with his hand still on her cheek, he stared down at her.

"She's still warm."

"What?" Sirius asked, confused.

"She's still warm! Sirius put her down. We may be able to save her!"

Quickly, he laid her on the ground. Pulling out his wand, James sent a bolt of magic through her chest and into her heart. Feeling for a beat, he smiled at the girl's father.

"It's beating."

"She's not breathing." Casting a respiration spell on her, Sirius continued, "We need to get her to a medi-witch. I'm not sure how long this spell will last."

Nodding, James helped Sirius lift his daughter before they apperated away.

Appearing in Hogsmeade, they entered Honeydukes. While James distracted its owners, Sirius snuck down into the basement. Five minutes later, James caught up with him in the tunnel that led back to Hogwarts.

Climbing out of the witches hump was awkward with his daughter in his arms. When all three were safely out, James ran to Dumbledore's office while Sirius headed for the hospital wing. Entering, he yelled for Madame Pomfrey.

"Good Lord, what happened to her?"

"She suffocated. Help her!"

Nodding, the nurse had him lay his daughter on the bed. Pulling out her wand, she cast a more permanent respiratory spell and several others before stepping back, looking worried.

"What is it?"

Biting her lip, she responded, "Her powers are bound. What little power she had to sustain her looks as if it has been drained."

"She used it to get help," Sirius supplied. "Can you remove whatever spell is binding her?"

Leaning forward, the nurse studied the girl for several long moments before pulling up both sleeves and the pant legs. There encircling her ankle was a silver bracelet that was glowing faintly.

"I cannot remove that," she replied. "It's covered in dark magic."

"I'll go get someone else to do it then."

"Mr. Black," Madame Pomfrey called after him. "Even if it is removed, there is no guarantee that she will ever wake up. Not even magic can replace brain cells that have died and she was sure to have lacked oxygen for a significant amount of time."

"We have to try. If there is even the slightest chance that she could wake up, she deserves the chance to. If that thing remains there, she doesn't stand a chance."

Nodding, the nurse gestured for him to go. "I'll watch her until you return."

----------

In the Headmasters office, Harry paced back and forth, nervously waiting for his father and Godfather to return.

"Sit down Harry," Lily commanded from where she was tending to the wounded Julia Black.

"Do you think she'll be okay? You don't think Dad and Sirius are going to get hurt, do you?"

Tiredly, Lily sighed, "There's no way to know until they return. Now, sit down."

Ignoring her, Harry continued to pace. Minutes later, James came bursting in through the door causing Lily to sigh with relief.

"Is everything alright?" Lily asked.

"No," came James' short reply. "Albus, Destiny wasn't breathing when we found her. We restarted her heart but she's not breathing on her own. If we send her to Azkaban now, she'll die for sure."

Nodding, Dumbledore replied, "We will wait until she has recovered before she stands trial. Death Eater or not, she deserves the chance to defend herself."

"Azkaban?" Harry spoke up, surprised, "Why would she be sent there? She was trying to escape from You-Know-Who; she wanted to come back to our side." Seeing his father was about to speak, he hurried on. "You didn't send Snape to Azkaban when he decided to switch to our side!"

"Harry," Lily said gently, "This is different."

"How?" he exclaimed. "How is this different?"

"It's different because Snape wasn't leading the attacks like the girl was,"  
Alastor Moody growled. Staring at them in disbelief, Harry turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.

"He'll understand eventually," Dumbledore said, unconcerned.


	14. Negotiations

Negotiations

Chapter 14

As Harry stepped into the hallway off the Headmaster's staircase, he stared in alarm as Sirius came flying past him up the stairs. Turning around, Harry ran back up after him. Coming up behind his Godfather, he listened as Sirius told everyone about the bracelet.

"We have to get it off," Sirius said desperately.

Sitting quietly against the wall, leaning lightly on Lily, Julia closed her eyes in defeat.

"Why should we?" Tonks asked, folding her arms across her chest. "She's just going to be sent to Azkaban anyway. We'll be helping everyone if we just let her die. She won't suffer and we won't have to waste time on a trial or space on a cell.

Lunging forward, Sirius closed his hands around the collar of her shirt.

"That's my child you're talking about! Now, you're going to help remove that thing because if she dies, you will be joining her!"

Smacking his hand away, Tonks just frowned at him.

"Sirius, calm down," Dumbledore ordered. "We'll remove the bracelet."

Nodding, Sirius turned on his heel and left.

-

Two hours later the silver bracelet had been removed and over the next several days, Destiny gradually became better and by the end of the first week was breathing on her own. Still, there was no sign that she was going to be waking up any time soon, if at all.

Seeing the pain that his childhood friend had been forced to endure, Harry promised himself that as soon as she woke up, he was going to attempt to fix the mess that he had helped create.

-

Walking swiftly through Voldemort's headquarters, Remus and Dakota Lupin squeezed each other's hands tightly. Approaching a group of shape shifters, they paused long enough to whisper their information before moving on. Behind them, the group stared in horror at the retreating couple's backs.

"That bastard!" an old woman hissed.

"He won't get away with it," a young man with brown hair muttered.

Nodding to each other, they separated to spread the news: Voldemort had attempted to kill the Necromancer Queen.

All loyalty had disintegrated for the Dark Lord.

-

Watching the Lupins move stealthily through the mansion, Draco smiled bitterly. There was no help to be had from the good guys and now they would be outcasts from even the dark.

Shrugging, Draco moved away from the wall he was leaning on. Something would work out to keep them alive.

It always did.

-

As classes came to an end on Friday, Harry hurried off to the Great Hall to eat so that he would have time to sit by Destiny's bed before the Order meeting tonight.

Shoving food into his mouth, he hurriedly placed what was left of his dinner into his napkin before standing.

"Are you leaving already?" Hermione asked, disappointed.

"Yeah, I'm off to the hospital wing."

Though Destiny had been placed in a room separate from the main wing and no one was supposed to know she was there, Harry had informed his friends to stop them from snooping around to find out on their own.

"I'll come with you," Ron stated, climbing to his feet.

"You don't have to," Harry replied uncomfortably.

"I know. I want to."

Nodding his acceptance, they left hurriedly, waving to Hermione who had reburied her nose in her book.

Arriving, Harry took his usual seat by the bed while Ron dragged up a chair to sit at the foot of it. Staring at the small pale face on the bed, Ron asked the question he'd been thinking about for over a week.

"Why did she decide to betray You-Know-Who? I mean, she was so high up that she must have been having a great life. Why would she do it?"

Harry was silent for so long that Ron didn't think he was going to respond, but finally he did.

"I don't think she ever believed in Voldemort's cause. Did you ever notice that she only joined him after it was announced what she was?" Swallowing difficultly around the lump that was suddenly lodged in his throat, he looked down guiltily.

"Harry. . ." Feeling helpless, Ron said faintly, "It wasn't your fault. . ."

"Then who's was it?"

Thinking hard, Ron finally answered decisively, "It's the Ministry's fault."

"How's that?"

"The Ministry passed all of those laws and started arresting people all over. Maybe she just wanted to protect those innocents and it was the only way she could think of."

Nodding slowly, Harry fell silent.

"Do you think she deserves Azkaban?" Harry asked.

Shaking his head, Ron said, "She doesn't deserve that."

"My parents don't agree with you there."

"Mine either."

"I wish I could go back to second year and have had the courage to stay friends with her. Maybe then Remus, Dakota and Destiny wouldn't be facing such horrible futures."

-

As the Order meeting stretched into its second hour, Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Looking around, he saw his father shifting restlessly around and grinned.

As the topic turned from the attacks to where all of the refugees that were heading to Hogwarts were going to be placed, the door opened and five people stepped into the room. Rising swiftly to his feet, Dumbledore was reaching for his wand when Draco Malfoy lunged. Instantly, the wand was gone from his fingers and a hand was wrapped tightly around his throat. Pulling him backwards into a corner so no one could reach him with out going through the Headmaster, Malfoy bared his fangs, poised to strike. All of this had happened in the space of a heartbeat leaving the Order still sitting and unprepared.

Clapping her hands slowly, Constance Meara stepped forward smirking dangerously. "Nicely done Mr. Malfoy." Nodding his acknowledgement, Malfoy kept his attention on the Headmaster. "I wouldn't attempt to attack us. Draco here will crush your precious old man's throat before you can kill him—or any of us for that matter."

Silence reigned before Harry spoke up. Nervously, he stepped forward. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Constance laughed. "I want to go shopping in Diagon Alley. What about you Stanton; what do you want?"

"I suppose I want to be able to have a job," he replied thoughtfully. "Sitting around with no purpose becomes rather tiresome after a couple of hundred years."

Returning her attention to Harry, she tilted her head to the side. "You know what we want, now do something about it."

"Why should we do anything for you?" Dumbledore asked before gasping for breath as Draco Malfoy's grasp tightened. Feeling his fingernails bite into his palms as he watched the Headmaster fight for breath, Harry gritted his teeth. "We have your Queen," he gasped. "You have no leverage here."

"Oh, but we have plenty of leverage," Stanton replied. "We have your life."

"I am old; I am ready to die."

"You may be ready to die," a male voice stated from beneath the hood of a cloak at the back of the group, "but the Order is not ready for you to."

"I never figured you would join such a group Remus."

"I had no choice."

"There is always a choice!" James snapped.

"What choice? Like the choice Draco had when he was sent to the experimentation camp for simply _being_? Or like the choice Destiny had when the Ministry decided to use tracking devices? There has never been a choice because we've never been trusted enough to have had a chance!" Silence rang through the room as everyone stared at the usually calm werewolf. Loosening his grip on Dumbledore, Draco allowed him to breath easier. "All we're asking for is a chance."

Incredulously, Sirius asked, "So you're holding Albus hostage because you want a chance?"

"Sirius, stop being stupid." Julia reached out and smacked her husband upside the head. "Nobody was really listening to them, so now they're forcing us to."

"Why don't we sit down and talk this out?" Dumbledore offered calmly.

Glancing over at the other four, Draco let go at Remus' nod. Smiling, Dumbledore stepped away and conjured up more chairs for them.

"Just remember," Constance warned, "if something happens to us while we're here, we have people in position ready to kill your precious children. Don't disappoint us."

After a moment, Dumbledore nodded. "Alright, we're listening now. What do you want to say?"

Glancing at each other, Remus leaned forward and stated seriously, "We want children to not be taught to fear us. Yes, there are people who will kill for the fun of it but humans do that too. We want to stop being called Dark Creatures. If we can't be declared human then we want to be called Magical Beings.

"Magical Beings?" Tonks mused, smiling. "I like it."

Nodding to her, Constance said, "Fear creates hate, and hate creates more hate which had led us to where we are now. This has to stop before we all destroy each other."

Nodding, Dumbledore agreed with them. As discussion continued, Harry slipped out the door and made his way to the hospital wing.

-

"Things are better now," Harry whispered squeezing the Necromancer's hand. "Your friends are negotiating with the Order to get things fixed." Several minutes passed before he spoke again. "I thought of a way to help you stay out of Azkaban. You can tell the Order what you know about Voldemort. I know you can't spy like Snape but you've been much closer to him than anybody so maybe you can help us think of what he'll do next."

Feeling the hand in his squeeze his lightly, he jumped.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yes. . ."

Smiling at the raspy voice, he jumped to his feet. "I'll be right back with Madame Pomfrey."

"No. . ."

"Why?" Not receiving a reply he became concerned. "Do you know who I am?" Again there was silence. Reaching out, he poked her in the arm.

"Hmm. . . Stop it. . ."

Smiling, he realized that she was just trying to sleep. Deciding that she was in no immediate danger he sat back down and leaned back in his chair to wait.

-

In Dumbledore's office, the meeting was coming to a close when Draco added that there was still one more thing they needed done.

"Until the end of this war," Draco stated, "Destiny Black is not to be sent to Azkaban."

"I cannot guarantee you that," Dumbledore replied regretfully.

"We're not saying that you have to clear her of any charges," Stanton answered. "We just want her left alone until the end of the war. As soon as Voldemort is dead, she's all yours."

"Why would we agree to such a request?" Moody snapped. "Why should we risk her escaping when we have her now?"

"You're going to agree because without her we cannot control the rest of our people." Smiling Dakota continued, "You understand of course."

Nodding slowly, Dumbledore agreed to their terms.

"Of course," Draco drawled, "We would be very happy if she was only given the most minimum of sentences."

Laughing, Dumbledore said, "I'm sure you would be."

"So, now what?" Tonks asked.

"Now we wait for Destiny to wake up."


	15. The Truth of Humanity

The Truth of Humanity

Chapter 15

Harry smiled as he flew over the Quidditch stands listening to the cheering of the crowds. Clutching the snitch in his hand, he laughed at the expressions on the Slytherins' faces as Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup. Feeling something grab his shoulder, he attempted to twist away. Looking over at his arm he saw nothing but still something clutched at him. Being shaken harder, Harry felt himself slip off his broom and began to fall through the sky.

With a jerk, Harry woke up in the hospital wing in time to catch himself as he toppled out of his chair.

"Honey," Lily whispered, crouching down beside him. "Why are you still here?"

"What time is it?" Harry mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"It's past midnight. Go to bed."

Nodding, Harry rose tiredly to his feet. Giving Destiny's hand one last squeeze, he left the room. When he reached his room, he flopped down on his bed and fell fast asleep.

Three hours later, Harry was startled into wakefulness. Glancing around to see what had awoken him, he saw nothing. Lying back, he found himself unable to sleep. Sighing, he climbed to his feet and grabbed his invisibility cloak before heading out the door. Wandering down the halls, Harry eventually found himself standing before the hospital wing doors. Entering, Harry went to Destiny's room and paused at her door. Hearing someone speaking in the room, he hesitated before raising his hand to knock. Moving out of the way so as not to be bumped into when the door opened, he waited. When the door opened and Remus stuck his head out, Harry sighed with relief and revealed himself.

Surprised, Remus said, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Couldn't sleep. Is she doing any better?"

Hesitating, he was interrupted before he could speak.

"I'm doing much better, Harry, thanks for coming to visit at such a crazy hour to make sure."

Shoving past Remus, Harry grinned brightly. "You're awake!"

Sitting up against a mound of pillows, she appeared to be barely able to keep her eyes open. Surrounding her bed were the other four people who had been at the Order meeting. All were watching him carefully but Harry didn't care.

"How are you? Are you feeling alright?"

Nodding slowly, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to check on you; make sure you were okay."

"Right," Malfoy scoffed, "Like you weren't trying to make sure she didn't escape during the night."

Glaring at him, Harry was opening his mouth to respond when Destiny calmly reached out and laid a hand on the vampires arm.

"Calm yourself." Returning her attention to him, she stared at him as if she were seeing into his innermost heart. "You truly cared whether I lived or died. I do believe that besides my father, you are the only one who really cared. My mother visited once. Just once. How sad is that?"

"She was injured. She spent a lot of time in bed healing."

"My father could barely stand yet he came to rescue me. She has no excuse."

The silence that followed was oppressive and Harry began to wish that he had stayed in his warm bed. Digging through his brain for some type of conversation, he came up empty.

"We were discussing our new role in the war," Constance put in helpfully. "I suppose that an outsider's point of view would be helpful."

"Alright," Harry nodded, grabbing the chair that was transfigured for him. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing at the moment, Potter," Malfoy snapped.

Agreeing, they resumed their conversation as if he had ceased to exist.

"We will of course find a way to keep you out of Azkaban," Dakota stated. "There's no way that they will send you there after the help that you will be offering to the Light. I mean, they would be a bunch of hypocrites if they sent you there but didn't send Snape. After all, Snape has done just as much evil as you."

"Also, how would they justify sending you there but not the rest of us?"

"That's what I'm worried about." Rubbing his chin, Stanton continued. "How do we know that they won't betray us as soon as they win? I mean, they've done such things in the past."

"They won't betray us. They know that would just begin another war that they would have no hope of winning. After all," Destiny smiled grimly, "You can't hope to win against an enemy that has nothing to lose and we truly do have nothing to lose."

"We have our young," Dakota replied.

"Yes," she said sadly, "But if it came to it, we would sacrifice them for the future; anything to keep existing. My greater worry is that we will not be able to keep me out of Azkaban."

"You'll be safe," Draco growled.

"Once again, I don't understand how they can get away with persecuting you without doing the same with Snape," Dakota said.

"Snape was only responsible for his own crimes," Constance replied sadly. "Destiny is responsible for everything that every dark creature has done. Every murder is on her head; it's her fault."

"That's not fair though!" Harry exclaimed.

"Poor little boy," Stanton mocked, "He still thinks that the world is fair. Well guess what? Life is not fair. Your people make sure of that. If you want the truth, look at your humanity. They are the real monsters. They kill and destroy their own people. Look at the Death Eaters: they are human and they kill other humans. Dark Creature—"

"Magical Beings," Dakota interjected.

"Whatever. WE do not kill each other. The vampires only drink from humans, never the veela or werewolves or any other of our people. We never take the life of our own if it can be helped. You people think that we are the animals, yet we have evolved to having a near perfect utopia in our own communities. Can you say the same for yours?" Stunned, Harry didn't reply. "What, no come back?"

"Stanton, stop it," Destiny snapped.

Smirking at him, Stanton turned away.

The words of the others blurred around him, leaving him unable to do anything but think. Going over and over what he had been told, he suddenly came to when his name was called.

"Harry, it's time to go," Remus said gently.

Looking around, he realized that him and Remus were the only ones left and that Destiny was fast asleep.

"Sorry. . ." he mumbled climbing to his feet.

"Harry, don't beat yourself up over what Stanton said to you."

"But he's right though."

"Perhaps but the world is not really as bad as he made it out to be."

"Isn't it though? Are we not killing each other like animals?"

"Harry. . ." Looking at a loss for what to say, he sighed. "Stanton is very old. He has seen the worse that humanity has to offer. It's made him forget about the good things that people do; the things that make life worth living. Do you want to know a secret?"

Nodding, he whispered, "Okay."

"It's not the color of your blood that makes you a human. It's not your DNA or your abilities or anything physical."

"It's not?"

"No, it's your ability to keep seeing the good in life; the capability to keep living no matter what happens. Being able to love after suffering the worst loss; knowing that the sun will rise again no matter how dark the night is—that what makes a person human. Hope, love, perseverance, these are all qualities of being human. It's when you can no longer hope, when your soul has lost its ability to love, that's when you are no longer human. Remember that Harry, remember and never let anyone take away your humanity."

Rising to his feet, he headed for the door.

"Oh, and Harry? Love is a remarkable thing. It can fix anything."

Confused, Harry sat a few minutes longer before heading off to bed.

Sitting silently on her bed with her eyes closed, Destiny frowned. Searching through herself, she wondered if just maybe she had lost what Remus had described as her humanity. For no where in her was she able to find the kind of love that wanted no favor in return; there was truly no one in her life that she cared enough to keep alive that she would unhesitatingly lay her life down for. Had she really fallen so far?

----------

The next day Destiny gave her formal word to help the Light until the end of the war. With this agreement came the knowledge that when the time came, the Dark Creatures would fight against Voldemort. Until that time they would continue to allow the Dark Lord to believe that they had not switched sides when Destiny had escaped her grave. After all, with no Destiny there to be able to physically order them around they did not have to really listen to her as she had no way to enforce her powers.

After spending several more days recovering her strength, Destiny was finally released from the hospital wing though she was put under house arrest in a tower high enough that she would not be able to escape by climbing down.

Walking up the stairs to her room as he had done every day that week, he nodded to the Order member appointed to guard her door before knocking.

"Destiny, it's me."

Waiting several seconds, he opened the door and entered. Looking around he saw no one and continued farther into the room. Reaching the large picture window, he stopped at the site of the petite girl sitting staring out at the midday sun.

"I brought you lunch," he murmured, setting the tray beside her. Like every other day, he received no answer and turned to go.

"What happened to me?"

Stopping, Harry turned and stared. "I beg your pardon?"

Turning her face toward him, she repeated her question.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

Returning her gaze to the window, she stated, "No, I don't suppose you would."

Hesitating, not sure if he should leave or stay, he finally decided to speak. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong."

Laughing bitterly, she mumbled, "What's not wrong?" Motioning to her surroundings, she sighed. "Look at what I have been reduced to. I was once so proud. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Seeing that he didn't understand, she smiled. "I had it all, you know. I had wonderful parents and friends, more power than I knew what to do with, and the loyalty of thousands of people. And what did I do with it all? I walked away from my family, gave up on my friends when they were being asses, abused my power and sold my people to the devil."

"This is my fault too," Harry replied.

"Yes it is. But you know what the worse thing it? All I want is to go back to when we were best friends; back to the time when all you needed was me." Seeing the hope on his face, he pushed forward. "Unfortunately I have seen too much to ever go back. All I can do now is push on and hope that in the end I won't have made my peoples- my _friends'_ lives any more difficult than they were before I came."

Staring down at his hands, he swallowed thickly. "Maybe we can't go back but maybe we don't need to. The friendship we had once was great."

"But it's gone. It's been too long to start off where we left it."

"I know. But maybe we can begin again." Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet and held out his hand. "Hi, my name is Harry Potter. Would you like to have lunch with me?"

Staring at him for several minutes, she finally smiled.

"I would like that."


	16. Slapped to Attention

Slapped to Attention

Chapter 16

Over the next several days, Harry returned more frequently to help entertain Destiny as she would be unable to leave her assigned room until the Order felt that she could be trusted. They talked about their lives and the things that had changed since they had been friends.

"I loved being in Gryffindor. The tower is high above the rest of the castle and overlooked everything. It made me feel that everything was alright in the world."

Nodding, Destiny replied, "I guess that's why we are put in certain places in life. I didn't care about feeling safe so much. I wanted adventure. I loved the secret passages that could be anywhere. They were so much fun to try and find."

As the day continued, the topic of their conversation drifted.

"I was barely fifteen when I began to really work for Voldemort," Destiny reminisced. "Before that I was just negotiating and trying to get something- anything- settled."

"What do you mean you really started to work for him?"

"Do you remember the attack on Diagon Alley?"

"Of course."

"I was part of that attack."

"Oh God. . ." Harry whispered in horror. "There were so many killed."

"I know. I can still hear them screaming."

Gulping, Harry remembered the pictures of the destruction. "What did you do? Did you kill anyone?"

Staring off into space, she pursed her lips before laughing bitterly. "Did I kill anyone? No, not physically, but in reality. . . I killed the most."

"I don't understand."

"I used my powers."

"But your powers bring people back from the dead. How is that bad?" Before she could answer, he answered himself. "You tried to save them and they ended up like Ginny, right?"

"No, I didn't try to save them. I didn't try to stop any of it. When they say that I control the dead they mean that I control all aspects of the dead. Including their mobility after death."

"Are you talking about zombies?" Harry's eyes widened comically.

"Yes, I'm talking about zombies."

----------

Walking into the street through the opened arch, Destiny glanced around. The rest of the Death Eaters would be following in several minutes but before they arrived, she had to find a suitable place to work from. A place where she could see but not be seen; a place where no one would accidentally curse her. Looking into alleys she realized that there was no really good spot. Not on the ground at least. Examining the roof above her she smiled. Perfect.

Walking into the store, she moved onto the upper level of the bookstore and waited by the window that overlooked the alley. No more than four feet away was the roof of the neighboring business. If she jumped right she would be able to leap right onto it.

As the screams began outside, she opened the window and carefully climbed onto the ledge. Balancing precariously, she leapt up and out. Landing half on and half off, she scrambled to find something solid to cling to in order to stop herself from falling the twenty feet to the pavement below. Pulling herself up, she breathed deeply, attempting to slow her racing heart.

"Too close," she mumbled. "Way too close."

Moving so that she could stand behind the chimney and look over it, she observed the fight below. People ran in every direction, some attempting to escape, some trying to hold back the masked figures until help could arrive. Soon the Aurors did indeed arrive. Waiting, Destiny watched for the opportune moment. As the death count continued to rise, she waited. Finally, once bodies of both sides littered the ground, she closed her eyes and began to mumble in Latin.

"Rise," she hissed more audibly.

All over, the screams became shrieks. Even the Death Eaters were yelling in fear. Along the street the bodies of the dead began to move into sitting positions before staggering to their feet. Moving towards those who were not in masks, the zombies began to feast on anyone that they caught.

The Death Eaters, afraid to move for fear of attracting the monsters attention were slowly backing away. With a crack, Voldemort appeared. "Move forward!" he shouted. "You wear the amulets; they will ignore you!"

Glancing fearfully at one another, they began to push forward, killing anyone living in their paths. Watching the death count rise around her, Destiny attempted to block out the thoughts that were screaming that this was wrong.

'This is war,' Destiny thought determinedly. 'There are always casualties in war.'

Even this did not help. Taking a deep breath, she began to pretend that this was nothing more than one of those Muggle electronic games that she had once played at a mall. Beginning to count the points she was winning with each kill her zombies made, she smiled. Yes, this made everything much easier.

----------

"No one survived," Destiny ended. "I made sure of it. I didn't want it to get out that I had been doing such magic because I knew deep in my heart that one day I would have to answer for what I had done and I didn't want that to be on the list of crimes."

"All of those people, those children. . ."

"As I told myself during that battle, 'people die during wars.' Nothing is going to change that."

"But so many didn't have to die!" Harry yelled.

"Perhaps. I still believe in fate. Those people were meant to die."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't, not about every one of those people. I do know that in the end everyone will die. It's the human way. Does it really matter so much if their life ends a little sooner than it would have otherwise?"

"Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"I am what I am, Harry."

"What you are is cold and unfeeling."

"Yes, it helps me make it from one day to the next. Maybe one day I will be able to see things from your point of view. Today is not that day though."

Bowing his head, Harry sighed.

"You have no idea how much it hurts when someone you love dies, do you?"

"No one I have loved has ever been lost to me. The closest I come to losing someone is when they move on. I know though that it is only a matter of time until I see them again. I always see them again."

"Let me tell you what it's like for the rest of the world to lose someone."

----------

The day was overcast and cloudy. It fit the setting and the mood of all those around. There were not many people out today; there was too much to do, too many wounded that were still alive. To Harry though, everything living had ceased to be. There was only the dead. Only the pain of knowing that his beloved Ginny was never going to come through the common room door smiling her happy smile. She would never again, laugh and cheer at a Quidditch game. She would never grow up.

Bowing his head, he could feel the tears leaking out of his eyes. There was so much he wanted to tell her that he had never gotten the chance to. He wanted to tell her about the secret passage he had found that hadn't been on the Marauder's Map. About the sweater that would have looked perfect on her that he had planned to buy. That he loved her.

Now he would never get the chance to.

Wiping at his eyes, he swallowed convulsively. He could hear her mother crying loudly from the head of the coffin. All around, Weasley's had gathered. They said that they didn't blame him but he knew better. It was all his fault. It should have been him lying there. Making things even worse, he had allowed harm to come to her remains.

'I should never have messed with it,' he thought bitterly.

He knew he should have listened to Destiny when she said that his girlfriend was dead but he hadn't wanted to admit it. Besides, she had managed to create the miracle of life once, why wouldn't she be able to do so again? She had tried to refuse and he had threatened her and she had complied.

He had tried to blame her for the damage that had been done but in reality he had only himself to blame. After all, he had all but committed the act himself when he had pointed his wand at the Necromancer. She had told him what the outcome would be but he would not listen. If only he had.

Now the body was ruined. When she had been brought back, she may have appeared to be breathing but she had not been alive; it had been an illusion. Skin had been torn in the battle, bruises had been made, and the neck bones had been destroyed. They'd had to be. When the body was broken beyond repair, the demon wouldn't be able to stay. The Weasley's hadn't even been able to have an open casket because of that damage. Because of the demon that had briefly resided within her, there was no way that they could perform any spell that would fix it because then the demon would be able to come back.

"We are gathered here today to say goodbye to Ginny Weasley," the man said who was conducting the funeral.

He had loved her; had intended to marry her. She had been his life. They had even been talking about the possibility of them marrying straight out of Hogwarts. Ginny had been excited about the idea.

Reaching into his pocket, he felt the cold metal circle that resided there. He had bought the ring not long before that Halloween. He had intended to ask her romantically at Christmas out by the lake in the snow. Now it was too late.

"Ashes to ashes. . ."

If only he could be free of the guilt. If only he could find someone to blame besides himself. That was never going to happen though. He would carry the guilt of destroying the woman he loved for the rest of his life.

"Dust to dust. . ."

'I will never love anyone like I loved you,' he vowed silently to his dead love. 'I will die loving only you.'

----------

"That's what it means to lose someone you love," Harry said, feeling familiar sadness sweep through him.

"I understand that you feel you will never see her again but do you really think that she blames you for her death?"

"How could she not? She died because of me."

"No, she died for you. There is a difference."

"However you say it, she's still gone."

"Do you really think that she saved you just so that you could be miserable forever?"

"Like any woman would willingly want the man she loves to move on to another woman."

"Katherine did."

"Who?"

"Remus's wife. She couldn't move on until Remus was ready to let go of her. When Remus met Dakota, Katherine moved on."

"That's different though."

"How?"

"She wanted him to be happy, yes, but that doesn't mean that she wanted him to forget about her."

Cocking her head to the side, she replied thoughtfully, "I think in a way she did want him to forget about her. At least for a while anyway. Remus will never stop loving Katherine but that doesn't mean that he can't love someone else. It fact, she even picked out Remus's next wife. I helped them get together because that was what she needed to happen." Seeing his stunned face, she continued, "So you see, sometimes they need their loved one to move on in order to allow the spirit to be happy. Tell me, would Ginny be happy with the way that you're torturing yourself?"

"I guess I'll never know," Harry said bitterly.

"Don't be stupid. Of course you'll know. Who do you think you're talking to, Santa Clause?" Rolling her eyes, she mentally called out for Ginny.

"What do you want?" Ginny snapped annoyance clear in her voice.

Ignoring her tone, Destiny smiled. "Hello Ginny, lovely day."

"Get on with it."

"You're awfully grouchy today."

"I've been watching Voldemort torture people all day today. Can you really blame me?"

"Did you find anything out?"

"Hey!" Harry interrupted. "I think you're getting a little off topic."

"Oh right. Ginny, you want to talk to Harry here?"

"Sure," she replied after a moments pause.

Waving her hand, Destiny made the girl visible before leaning back in her chair.

"Ginny," Harry murmured, moving closer.

"Hello Harry."

"I've missed you so much."

"I know."

"Have you. . ." Clearing his throat, he began again. "Have you missed me?"

"Why would I miss you? You're right here."

Stepping back as if he had been slapped, Harry gaped at her. "But we aren't together anymore. We can't touch. We've lost each other."

"We haven't lost each other. We're just taking a break that lasts a lifetime. We'll be together again when we meet on the other side."

"I don't want to wait a lifetime. I want to be together now."

"No," Ginny replied. "Your time is not yet done. You will just have to wait. And you will wait, do I make myself clear?"

Nodding sadly, Harry whispered, "I will never love anyone but you."

"Why's that?"

"I only want to be with you."

Giving him a disgusted look, she snapped, "What a pathetic waste of a life. You're alive, Harry; I'm dead. Let me go."

"Am I holding you here?"

"No, I have worse things keeping me here than you."

"What Ginny is trying to say in her oh-so-grumpy way is that life is for the living. Why would she care if you love someone else since you are alive? The whole reason she is not a ghost that can be seen is that she is willing to let go of life after her business is completed. It's you that's not willing to let the dead lie."

"This is so totally bizarre," Harry mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Love someone else if you choose. When you are ready to love again, don't let the memory of me stop you. I saved you because I wanted you to live a long happy life. If loving another makes you happy then that's what I want for you. In your own time you'll see that that is what you also want." Smiling at him, Ginny said, "I will always be with you."

Looking down at his feet in an attempt to compose himself, he raised his head to see that the spirit had vanished.

"No! Where did she go?"

"She left," Destiny replied carelessly.

"But I need to tell her that I love her!"

"No Harry, you need to let go. It's been over a year. Let it go."

"You don't understand."

Pursing her lips, she stood up and walked over to him. Swinging her hand at him as hard as she could, she was rewarded with a resounding smack.

"What was that for!" he yelped.

"Pull your head out of your butt and grow up! I understand just fine. This is not all about you! You feel overwhelmed by the responsibility that you have been given and since they're all telling you that you are going to save everyone, you feel that you should have also saved her. Did the whole demon episode show you nothing? It was her time to go! So let her go!"

Incredulously, he asked, "You think this is all about my responsibility?"

"You know what; I'm going to tell you what I was told by someone a long time ago. You don't like the way everyone is laying all of this responsibility on you yet treating you like a child? Then do something about it! Stop being bitter at the world and boo-hooing about it. Make a plan and execute it. You can control your future. First though you have to grow up and be an adult."

"Who gave you such good advice?"

Laughing, she replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. What are you going to do?"

Thinking for a second, Harry said, "Grow up. Be an adult. I'm going to take control of this war. If I have to die fighting it then we're going to do things my way."


End file.
